Rangers Beat Giants
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers did not take the easy way to their longest winning streak at home in more than a month.
The Rangers pounded San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner for a season-high six runs and won their third straight at Globe Life Park with a 6-3 victory over the Giants on Friday.
It was the first meeting between the two teams in Arlington since the Giants won the World Series in 2010.
Texas, which has now won three straight at home for the first time since June 4-13, jumped on Bumgarner for six runs in the first two innings. The key blows were two-run homers from third baseman Adrian Beltre and shortstop Elvis Andrus.
Beltre’s two-run homer to left gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead and Andrus capped a four-run second with his two-run shot to left. Bumgarner (11-6) has now allowed two home runs in two starts this season.
“It was nice,” said Beltre, who snapped a 59 at-bat homerless streak. “It’s nice always to come out early and attack a pitcher who has really good stuff. He’s been a dominant pitcher and we came out looking to have really good at-bats and look for a ball up. We were able to capitalize on that early.”
The beneficiary of the run support was Texas right-hander Nick Martinez. Martinez hadn’t won a start since June 9 and had lost his last four decisions. But he allowed just two runs in his 6 1/3 innings Friday for the win.
The Giants got to Martinez for a run on in the first inning when third baseman Matt Duffy scored from
third on a wild pitch. The Giants added a run in the second on an RBI double from left fielder Nori Aoki that tied the game 2-2.
But after allowing five hits in the first two innings Martinez allowed just two more the rest of his outing.
“Giving up the run in the first and the run in the second but once we put some runs on the board the shutdown innings and not allowing a big inning were huge for him,” Texas manager Jeff Banister said. “He was able to move the fastball around, throwing the fastball in, something he had gotten away from in some of his starts. He was able to throw breaking balls for strikes too.”
The Rangers broke the game open with four runs in the second. Catcher Chris Gimenez and center fielder Delino DeShields collected RBIs to help Texas to a 4-2 lead before Andrus drove the first pitch he saw off Bumgarner to left.
That inning was big as Bumgarner shut Texas down after that. He allowed six hits in the first two innings but just three over his next five innings. He struck out eight.
“Just getting some outs, really,” Bumgarner said on the difference between his outing early and late. “I found a way to get them out. I made some good pitches, and they hit some good pitches, I thought. They went in with a different game plan. I was able to adjust as the game went on for us.”
Bumgarner was also at the center of a benches-clearing incident to end the fourth inning after he exchanged words with DeShields after DeSheids slammed his bat to the ground after a pop-up. Bumgarner said the incident was self-explanatory.
San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy played the incident off.
“”(Bumgarner) was a little grumpy anyway because of the heat and the way the game was going,” Bochy said. “That was his boiling point. He settled down, and that’s over. Those things happen.”
