September 20, 2022 - Game 147
W - Patrick Sandoval (6-9)
L - Dennis Santana (3-8)
S- Jimmy Herget (6)
HR: LAA: Duffy (2)
Time of Game: 2:50
Game Recap
The Rangers came back home for their last multi-opponent home stand of 2022. First, it was the Angels in game one of three. Cole Ragans took the mound against the Angels' Patrick Sandoval. With sixteen games remaining, the six against the Angels are the only ones vs. teams that aren't in a position to make the postseason (Guardians, Mariners, and Yankees all are in playoff position). "This is not a give-me game, yea there's no playoff implications, but we want to win. "Every game is important for us; no game has less value than another. [The Angels] can beat you like any other team; we want to win the game. There's no less importance or value in today's game than when Cleveland comes to town, the Yankees are here, or we go to Seattle. It's no different," Tony Beasley said before the game.
The Rangers got to Patrick Sandoval early with a leadoff walk by Marcus Semien and an RBI double by Corey Seager. However, Sandoval struck out the side after that with a walk mixed in to keep it 1-0 after one inning. The Angels took the lead right back with a two-run home run by short-termed Ranger Matt Duffy. Jo Adell followed a batter later with a double, but Cole Ragans struck out the next two to keep it as a 2-1 deficit. In the fourth inning, Max Stassi singled to right field in front of Adolis García. García threw a strike to the plate as Heim grazed Matt Duffy's leg, preventing a run from scoring. Texas tied the game in the fifth with a bunt single by Bubba Thompson and an RBI double by Marcus Semien.
Unfortunately, the Angels put three in the sixth. First, Taylor Ward doubled home Shohei Ohtani to give the Angels the lead back. Then after Dennis Santana departed, Mike Ford singled home Ward, and Adell singled home Duffy to give the Angels the 5-2 lead. Next, Stassi hit a ball on the ground to Josh Jung. Jung stepped on third and quickly threw it to Marcus Semien and then on to Nathaniel Lowe to complete a 5-4-3 triple play. "Just thinking about getting rid of it [and] get it out of my hands. If it happens [then] it happens," Josh Jung told me when asked if he was going to third base if he had a feeling it would be a triple play. "When the guy was out at second and Marcus got rid out it, I was like oh we got a chance. I knew the guy at the plate wasn't a burner." After the sixth there was little offense by both sides where a runner did not advance past first base and the Angels bullpen was too much for the Rangers.
Cole Ragans' outing on Tuesday was a good one. He did give up a two-run home run, but outside of that, Ragans struck out five, did not walk anyone, and allowed seven hits. The pitch count was closer to what Ragans threw before going to the injured list in late August (86 pitches on Tuesday). "[I] was trying to go at guys [and] make them hit the ball. Walks they hurt me, and I've learned from experience in past starts. Every time I walked a guy it's hurt me pretty good," Cole Ragans said. Ragans noticed that early on his pace was going slow. So he went into the dugout, discussed it, and picked up the tempo and it helped. "It helps everything sync together and I'm not overthinking things," Ragans said.
Dennis Santana came in to finish the fifth and strike out Mike Trout. However, Santana allowed the first three Angels to reach in the sixth on hits where all three ended up scoring. John King allowed the first two hitters he faced to reach on hits. "It seems like [Dennis] has been good coming to finish an inning. When he goes back out, something seems to go haywire [I] don't understand if he loses feel," Tony Beasley said. "I do notice that sometimes out there when you come out there and get a big out for a team that an emotional high can sometimes mess with you a little bit. It's hard to get calm and get back out there, [but] it's part of Dennis' job." Though King induced a triple play afterward and retired the next four all on groundouts. Jesús Tinoco faced six batters and allowed one hit (a leadoff single in the ninth). Tinoco struck out three in his outing on Tuesday closing the book on Rangers pitchers on the night.
Postgame Notes
The sixth-inning triple play is the 8th in Rangers History. It's the 2nd this season (4/20 at Seattle), and this season is the first season where the Rangers have turned multiple Triple Plays.
This season, Corey Seager is 12 for 38 with ten RBI against the Angels (.316).
Sunday and Tuesday are the first back-to-back stretch for Nathaniel Lowe to not collect a base hit since July 9th and 10th at home vs. the Twins.
Mark Mathias is 0 for his last 12 with ten strikeouts.
Tuesday was the first MLB start that Cole Ragans didn't walk a batter. It was the third time in thirty-one starts (MLB and Minors) that Ragans didn't walk anyone.
Marcus Semien has hit safely in 20 of his last 22 games. He'd had an extra-base hit in eleven of those twenty games.
Since June 22nd (four earned runs in twenty-eight innings; 1.29 ERA), Dennis Santana has allowed thirty earned runs in his last twenty-five and a third innings (10.66 ERA).
Tuesday was the eighth time Rangers pitchers did not walk a batter.
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