September 16, 2022 - Game 144
W - Martín Pérez (12-6)
L - Corey Kluber (10-9)
S- José Leclerc (6)
HR: TEX: Lowe (25)
Time of Game: 3:12
Rangers Cowboy Hat Winner: Corey Seager (3rd)
Game Recap
After a much-needed off day, the Rangers traveled again to Florida for three games against the Tampa Bay Rays. Martín Pérez took the hill for the second time this season against the Rays. On May 31st, Martín threw seven shutout innings on three hits at home. In that start, Pérez got hit in the leg and proceeded to pump out strike after strike. Next, the Rangers squared off against their former teammate, Corey Kluber, who threw six innings and one run on June 2nd at Arlington. "We put together a great team win against a really good team over there," Nathaniel Lowe said. "It was nice to do it in front of the home crowd."
Tampa Bay struck first in the second inning. There were two instances where the Rangers had double play chances but couldn't convert, leading to two Rays runs. The first came on Francisco Mejía's RBI single to right after as Taylor Walls beat out a potential double play on the prior at-bat. José Siri also ran out a double play as Corey Seager bobbled the ball, which scored Walls. The Rangers prevented the shutdown inning from Corey Kluber as they did all their damage with two outs in the third. After Bubba Thompson and Marcus Semien reached, Seager doubled to left center field, scoring both and evening the game at two. Next, Nathaniel Lowe burned his old team with a two-run home run to left field, putting the Rangers up 4-2. "We got a lot of potential," Lowe said on the offense. "There are a lot of great bats in this lineup and great bats on the bench. So, it was nice to scratch one out tonight."
The Rays had a runner in scoring position in the third, fourth, and fifth, but Martín Pérez got out of the jam each time to keep it a two-run Rangers' lead. The Rangers drove Kluber out of the game and put two men on the sixth, but Garrett Clevenger got Mark Mathias to fly out to right field to end the Texas scoring threat. Mejía hurt the Rangers in the sixth inning with an RBI double, scoring Walls and cutting the Texas lead to one. With second and third and two outs, Manuel Margot flew out to center field to preserve the Rangers' lead at the time. The Rays made a furious rally by loading the bases in the ninth inning. However, Harold Ramírez grounded out to Josh Jung and the fielders' choice snatched the win for the Rangers. "I think we're playing good ball," Tony Beasley said. "We're having chances to win ballgames and if we can play a solid twenty-seven outs and pitch well and play defense and just give ourselves a chance each to be in a ballgame and possibly win a ballgame. I'm pleased with the effort."
Martín Pérez's night got slightly cut short in the sixth inning. Martín threw 5.1 innings and allowed nine hits, three runs, one walk, and three strikeouts in ninety-one pitches. A few close pitches hit the corner but were not called on the evening, but the Rays strung together seven singles and two doubles (both by Mejía) on the evening. "[The Rays] made me work a little more, but I think I made good pitches. [I got] ground balls to the infielders and slow balls," Martín Pérez said. "They swing a lot and in the last inning they just came aggressive a lot and hit the ball really good."
Jesús Tinoco finished the sixth inning on eight pitches. He induced two fly-outs in his shortened outing Friday. In the seventh, Jonathan Hernández faced the minimum of three. Jonathan walked one and struck out one in his limited work. Brett Martin threw to Harold Ramírez and got him to flyout to Leody Taveras as his only work on the night. José Leclerc walked a batter, allowed a single, and hit a batter in the ninth, but managed to get the save on Friday. "[The bullpen] did a good job. The score got close within one after six, but Tinoco did a nice job coming in and closing out the sixth, Hernández did a good job, Martin came in that inning because [of] the matchup, Moore did a great job in the eighth, [and] Leclerc got us through the ninth. It wasn't easy but he got us through the ninth," Tony Beasley said.
Postgame Notes
Rangers have won nine of their last fourteen overall against the Tampa Bay Rays.
With Nathaniel Lowe's twenty-fifth home run, the Rangers are one of three teams with three players with twenty-five home runs or more. The Yankees and Brewers are the other two teams. The Rangers players with twenty-five home runs this season are Corey Seager, Nathaniel Lowe, and Adolis García.
Marcus Semien picked up his sixth multi-hit game in September. He's hit safely in thirteen of fifteen games in September.
Corey Seager is 2 for 33 in his last thirty-two at-bats on the road. Those two hits equated to a home run, a double, and four RBI.
Corey Kluber has posted a 2.88 ERA (8 earned runs in 25 innings) against the Rangers in the past two seasons since leaving the Rangers.
Friday was the seventh start for Martín Pérez since April 23rd, where he allowed three or more earned runs (27 starts).
In a short sample, Francisco Mejía is 5 for 8 in his career against Martín Pérez.
Matt Moore threw his fourteenth outing of one inning or more without allowing a baserunner on Friday.
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