Thoughts on a 7-6 Rangers win

Rangers 7, Braves 6

• That’s another one run win for the Rangers.
• Texas is now 18-10 in one run games this season, and have won their last 11 one run games in a row.
• Winning all 11 of their last one run games…that seems like a lot.
• The last one run game the Rangers lost was on May 27, against the Astros.
• MacKenzie Gore pitched really well, except for one inning.
• That one inning made it an overall bad outing for Gore, I’m afraid.
• Gore allowed six hits and walked a batter in his 5.2 innings pitched. The walk, and four of the hits, all came in the second inning, when the Braves scored four runs.
• One of the hits was an Eli White home run. The Braves purchased White from the Rangers in the 2022-23 offseason, during a period of time when it seemed like every Ranger who was dropped from the 40 man roster ended up being claimed or purchased or traded for by Atlanta.
• Gore allowed five runs in all, the fifth of which came on a Michael Harris II leadoff homer in the third, after the Rangers had rallied to make it a one run game.
• Gore also hit three batters in the game. He had only hit two batters all season prior to this game.
• I was curious, and went and look…Gore is the tenth pitcher to hit three batters in a game this year. He’s the first Ranger to do so since Kyle Cody back in 2021.
• Despite giving up four runs in the second and not executing a shutdown inning in the third, Gore ended up getting credit for the win, as the Rangers rallied to come back and take the lead before Gore was pulled.
• Gore’s final two batters before being pulled were first pitch HBPs with two out in the sixth, resulting in Skip Schumaker pulling Gore for Robby Ahlstrom.
• If you were worried about Ahlstrom entering the game with the go-ahead run at the plate, you aren’t alone. Happily, Ahlstrom retired Drake Baldwin to end the inning, and was replaced by Tyler Alexander for the seventh inning.
• The return of Jakob Junis from the injured list made the late game reliever deployment a little less stressful, though Alexander allowed a run in the seventh to make it a one run game, and Jacob Latz was asked to get a four out save after Junis allowed a two out single in the eighth.
• The one batter Ahlstrom faced, and the batter Junis was pulled so that Latz could face, is Drake Baldwin. Baldwin is a lefthanded hitter, but his split are almost non-existent — he has an 800 OPS against righthanders this year, compared to an 810 OPS against lefties, and put up an 818 OPS against lefties last year against an 808 OPS against righthanders. He doesn’t seem like the guy you’re going to go through machinations with to make sure he faces a lefty.
• Joc Pederson started the game with a leadoff home run, and went 2 for 4 with before lifted for pinch hitter Justin Foscue with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh with an opportunity to blow the game open.
• Sadly, Foscue hit into a double play. More happily, the Rangers still won.
• Evan Carter homered as well, in the sixth inning when the Rangers re-took the lead for good. He had a two run shot that tied the game, part of a 2 for 4 game which also saw him draw a walk.
• Wyatt Langford, Josh Jung and Brandon Nimmo also had two hit games.
• We like when Rangers hitters have two hit games.
• Houston lost, so the Astros are now four back of Texas. The Mariners won, so they are still a game and a half back.
• MacKenzie Gore topped out at 96.2 mph with his sinker and 96.1 mph with his fastball, avering 95.3 mph and 94.8 mph with those pitches, respectively. Robby Ahlstrom threw one pitch, a 93.9 mph sinker. Tyler Alexander touched 92.5 mph with his sinker. Jakob Junis’s fastball reached 93.8 mph. Jacob Latz maxed out at 97.3 mph with his fastball.
• Brandon Nimmo had a 109.4 mph single and a 100.8 mph single. Joc Pederson had a 104.3 mph home run and a 102.4 mph single. Jake Burger had a 103.9 mph fly out and a 102.4 mph single. Evan Carter’s homer was 101.1 mph. Ezequiel Duran had a 100.2 mph fly out.
• The Rangers won’t be swept in Atlanta. Let’s see if they can win the series.