August 22, 2022 - Game 122
W - AJ Alexy (1-0)
L - Sonny Gray (7-4)
S- Matt Moore (3)
HR: TEX: García (20)
Time of Game: 2:58
Rangers Cowboy Hat Winner: AJ Alexy (1st)
Game Recap
On Monday, the Rangers and Twins finished a four-game series. For the eighth time this season, Texas duplicates their lineup after Sunday's 7-0 win against Minnesota. Cole Ragans took the mound after a five-inning and three runs performance on Wednesday against Oakland. It was Ragan's first MLB start outside the state of Texas. The Rangers' offense came up against Sonny Gray, who is in a stretch of allowing five runs in his last five starts. Texas saw Gray on July 8th and tagged him for five runs (all coming in the fifth inning in that start).
The Twins kept fighting off tough pitches for the first three innings. In the first, Minnesota had runners at the corners and one out, but Ragans got José Miranda on strikes, and Max Kepler grounded out. In the third inning, the Twins had two on with one out again, but Ragans got the same combination through a groundout and a flyout to keep the game scoreless after three innings. The Rangers got into the hit column in the fourth on a Marcus Semien single. Corey Seager followed with a walk, but Nathaniel Lowe lined into a 3-6 triple play to end the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Nick Gordon gave the Twins the lead on a shot off the glove of Ezequiel Duran, scoring Gio Urshela. Previously, Gordon missed a two-run home run in the at-bat, but the ball ripped off Duran's glove. Texas answered quickly with Adolis García going second deck to left field at 453 feet, tying the game at one.
In the sixth, Corey Seager gave the Rangers the lead with a single up the middle scoring Brad Miller. However, Lowe and García each recorded an out with two on; therefore, the Rangers couldn't add on. In the seventh, Minnesota had the tying run at second base, but Luis Arráez popped out against Brett Martin to preserve the lead for the Rangers. Carlos Correa reached on a leadoff single off of José Leclerc, but Leclerc was forced out at second and Jake Cave never went past first base. The Rangers shut down the Twins offense in the ninth and took the series three out of four thanks to the dominant pitching. "It's important that we force the opposition to do something and not give up the free bases via walk," Beasley said. "Make teams earn what they get and give the defense a chance to make plays. That's something we've talked about about and I'm pleased with the way pitchers have been attacking the zone and trusting that they can get out within the zone."
Cole Ragans had difficulty putting Twins hitters away on Monday but battled the evening. It was a shortened outing due to pitch count (eighty-nine pitches), but overall went four inning allowing five hits, one run, two walks, and two strikeouts. AJ Alexy came into the fifth inning and pitched nicely. "I thought Ragans did anice job," Beasley said. He only got us through four but the battled through four. His pitch count got up a little higher than I wanted it to be [and] I wanted him to get through five, but there were a ton of foul balls."
However, Alexy left in the seventh after his first and only walk. AJ threw 2.1 innings, allowing one hit, one walk, and striking out one. Brett Martin came in relief for Alexy with a runner on and one out. "I cleaned up some mechanics [and] how I come preset on the mound," Alexy said in what changed in his last few outings. "I was already presetting towards third base. [So] trying to stay linear towards the plate [and] have everything going that way." Martin induced a slow groundout and a pop out on five pitches. José Leclerc threw twenty-five pitches in the eighth and allowed a hit, but struck out two in his outing Monday. Matt Moore picked up his third save of the season by retiring the Twins in order.
Postgame Notes
Rangers finish the season 5-2 against the Minnesota Twins. Both losses were one-run losses.
In Cole Ragan's four innings, the Twins hit twenty-five foul balls. Twelve of those came with two strikes keeping the at-bat alive. Overall, the Twins fouled off thirty-four pitches and seventeen were with two strikes.
Adolis García's nineteen-game hitting streak is the sixth longest in MLB and the longest active streak in baseball.
Corey Seager picked up his seventeenth go-ahead RBI in the sixth, the most on the team.
The Rangers win their third four-game series of the season, all on the road. The other two were May 26-29 at Oakland and July 28-31 at the Angels.
García's two home runs in August are the lowest of the season in a month. Last season, Adolis had one month with two home runs (September).
Since June, two of eleven inherited runners scored against Brett Martin.
The Rangers have won season series against three of the five AL Central teams (5-2 vs. MIN, 4-3 vs. CHW, 4-2 vs. KC). The Rangers are 1-2 vs. CLE and 2-2 vs. DET, with a home series remaining against those two teams.
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