July 8, 2022 - Game 81
W - Jon Gray (2-1)
L - Sonny Gray (4-5)
S- Brett Martin (1)
HR: TEX: Seager (17) ; MIN: Correa (10), Jeffers (6)
Time of Game: 3:22
Rangers Cowboy Hat Winner: Brett Martin (1st)
Game Recap
The Rangers returned home after a roadie that started well but ended in multiple close disasters. They welcome the Minnesota Twins to town, starting a ten-game home stand (with Oakland and Seattle to follow). It was a battle of Grays on the mound Friday as Jon Gray took the hill for Texas against a familiar foe, Sonny Gray. Jon is coming off an okay outing on Sunday against the Mets in New York. Sonny Gray's last start was a five-inning and three-run performance against the Orioles. Thanks to a Corey Seager three-run homer along with some baserunners strung, the Rangers got the one-run monkey off their back Friday. "I think this guy is more comfortable when things are tough," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said about Corey Seager. "I have a feeling with Corey and big moments and game on the line. Everybody else around him and he's like I'm going to keep it the same."
The defense was the story early in Arlington. The first batter, Luis Arráez, reached on an error by Nathaniel Lowe. Then immediately, Carlos Correa blasted a two-run homer to the Minnesota bullpen putting the Twins up 2-0. In the third, more defensive miscues occurred. Corey Seager's error allowed Byron Buxton to reach and advance to third by another error, this time by Jonah Heim on a pickoff. Buxton scored on a Max Kepler single to extend the Minnesota lead to 3-0. The Rangers couldn't muster much in four innings thanks to tough defense by the Twins. The boiling point for Texas' offense was a fantastic play by Buxton as Nick Gordon was in front of him. Byron robbed Marcus Semien of extra bases.
The Rangers' offense got going in the fifth inning. They loaded the bases with none out against Sonny Gray. Mitch Garver was hit by a pitch followed by a sacrifice fly by Leody Taveras to cut the Twins' lead to 3-2. Josh Smith tied the game on a single, and Corey Seager unloaded the bases with a three-run home run to give the Rangers their first lead, capping off a six-run frame. "You're trying to put a good swing on the ball and have good results," Corey Seager told me about the home run. "Fortunately that happened." The Twins crawled within one on a Ryan Jeffers home run also to the Twins bullpen. After the sixth, neither offense budged against the opposing bullpens. The Rangers won a one-run game and snapped their four-game losing streak.
Jon Gray's line smeared on Friday because of three errors in the first three innings. Gray allowed two homers but pitched decent overall. Gray allowed nine hits, three earned runs, one walk, and eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings in his outing. "I'm still mad about tonight," Gray said. "I'm mad about that last inning. I thought we found a grove in the middle of the game, but I'm still ticked off about that last inning. I still felt good today. I didn't have my best stuff, but still I feel like the results didn't match." Garrett Richards finished the sixth inning getting Arráez and Correa in order. He pitched to Buxton in the seventh but hit him, and Brock Burke took over. Burke threw a scoreless seventh inning allowing a single. Dennis Santana threw a scoreless inning of one hit ball like Burke. Brett Martin came into close and try for his first MLB save. He retied the Twins in order and picked up the save (first professional since 2019). "I felt good about [the outing]," Brett Martin said. "I tried to treat it like the sixth, seventh, eighth, or any other situation. Don't try to make too much of big deal about it."
Postgame Notes
Sonny Gray made his fifteenth start against the Rangers, most against any team. Friday broke a four-way tie between the Rangers, Angels, Mariners, and Guardians. Before his start, Sonny Gray had never pitched at Globe Life Field.
After Jon Gray's start Friday against the Minnesota Twins, that leaves the Colorado Rockies as the only team Jon has not faced in his career.
The nine hits allowed by Jon Gray is the most allowed in a start since May 17th at San Diego.
The six-run fifth inning Friday was the fifth time in 2022 the Rangers scored six or more runs in a game. The last six or more run inning was May 28th at Oakland.
With Corey Seager's homer on Friday, Corey has homered against twenty-five different teams. The only teams Seager has not homered against: are the Red Sox, Guardians, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Dodgers.
The Rangers have played in four straight one-run games. Six of the last eight games have been decided by one run. It's the Rangers' first win of the six.
Adolis García snapped a 0 for 12 slump going 3 for 4 Friday.
Announced during the game, Mitch Garver will have surgery on Monday, ending his 2022 season after Sunday's game.
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