August 14, 2022 - Game 114
W - Josh Sborz (1-0)
L - Matt Brash (3-4)
S- José Leclerc (1)
HR: None
Time of Game: 3:03
Rangers Cowboy Hat Winner: Josh Sborz (1st)
Game Recap
The Rangers and Mariners conclude a three-game series on Sunday. It was the Mariners' last game at Globe Life Field in 2022 (barring the two meeting in an unlikely playoff scenario). The Rangers sent their ace, Martín Pérez, to take on the Seattle offense. On the other side, Seattle brought their power arm, Logan Gilbert. Gilbert made his seventh start in this career against Texas, tied for most (Houston Astros). Like, Marco Gonzales, a familiar foe. Before the game, I asked Rangers manager Chris Woodward about his team making adjustments facing a guy regularly and if it's more frustrating when the success doesn't show. "Gilbert has had his success against us. I expect our guys to [adjust] you face this guy before. You've seen the fastball," Woodward responded. "He's good, but I don't want to give him too much credit because you've faced him. He still throws a white baseball over the plate. You have to go up there; whatever adjustment needs to be made, that's on you. If he exposes us a certain way, [then] I expect us to counter that at some point [and] punch back."
After a quick first inning that took eleven pitches total (top and bottom halves), the Mariners struck first in the second. Sam Haggerty laced a single to left field scoring JP Crawford. In the fourth inning, the Rangers took the lead. Bubba Thompson, just getting word his first MLB hit came earlier due to a scoring change, lined a single through the drawn infield with the bases loaded. It scored Nathaniel Lowe and Meibrys Viloria, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead. However, Seattle tied the game right back on a Mitch Haniger RBI single in the fifth inning. "I made a good pitch inside," Martín Pérez said. "The Rangers retook the lead on a Logan Gilbert wild pitch, scoring Lowe.
The Mariners tied the game again on a throwing error by Corey Seager, allowing Julio Rodríguez to reach. It scored Crawford, evening the game at three. In the seventh inning, the Rangers got a double by Corey Seager, moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored on Adolis García's RBI single. The single gave Texas their third lead of the afternoon. Nathaniel Lowe followed up with an opposite-field double over the head of Sam Haggerty and went over the wall for a ground-rule double. The Rangers held the Mariners scoreless after the sixth as Texas took two of three over the weekend against Seattle. "[The Mariners] have a good team," Martín Pérez said. "They got good hitter and I'm trying to not to give them anything free. I don't want them to feel too comfortable. I'm just trying to throw the pitch I wanted where I wanted. We played a good game."
Sunday was another start where Martín Pérez didn't have the sharpness of his pitches. He battled for six innings allowing three runs, one earned run, five hits, and seven strikeouts. The kicker was the five walks allowed but left with the game tied. Josh Sborz pitched two quality innings. He struck out five after walking the first batter, Mitch Hanniger, he faced in the seventh inning. "It's the comfort factor," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said when I asked about the difference between Josh Sborz early in the season and now. "The first inning reminded me of what we've seen. Walked the leadoff guy and fell behind in some counts. "But the biggest difference is in past that leadoff walk would have snowballed. He has elite stuff but it's about execution. The [eighth inning] is about as well as you can execute." José Leclerc finished the day off with a scoreless ninth, retiring the Mariners in order.
Postgame Notes
The Rangers win two straight against the Mariners for the first time since July 31st and August 1st, 2021. The Rangers were 2-12 entering Saturday's contest vs. Seattle.
Adolis García extended his hitting streak to eleven games. It ties the longest this season by a Rangers player. García had an eleven-game hit streak between June 17th-29th, and Nathaniel Lowe had an eleven-game hit streak on July 25th-August 4th.
Nathaniel Lowe extends his on-base streak to twenty games.
Corey Seager extends his on-base streak to fourteen straight games. In addition, he's reached base safely in twenty-one straight home games.
Logan Gilbert walked four on Sunday. It's the second start in August Gilbert walked four (three August starts). Before August, Logan had a four-walk game once this season (May 1st at Miami).
The five walks by Martín Pérez are the most in a start since September 8th, 2020, against the Phillies (as a member of the Boston Red Sox).
Meibrys Viloria has drawn a walk in four of his last six games. In one of the games, he didn't draw a walk in that span; he entered in the ninth inning.
Corey Seager picked up his first two-double game with the Texas Rangers. His last two-double game was September 29th, 2021, against the Padres.
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