Rangers Close Homestand With Win
{fshare id=5173}
ARLINGTON, Texas — Suffice to say, the Texas Rangers needed a good experience to end a homestand after having lost seven of their last nine and with 11 straight games on the road lurking.
Timely hitting and good pitching did the trick on Wednesday.
Shin-Soo Choo broke out of a mini-slump with two hits, including a solo home run in the fifth that represented the go-ahead run in the Rangers’ 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
Choo, the designated hitter, reached base safely three times and scored two runs, all in support of right-hander Nick Tepesch, who picked up his first victory in his second start of 2014 while he fills the voids left by injuries to left-handers Matt Harrison and Martin Perez.
Tepesch (1-0) gave up three runs, five hits and two walks. He also had four strikeouts.
Joakim Soria pitched a scoreless ninth for his eighth save for the Rangers (23-24), who entered having lost seven of their last nine.
“I don’t think you could have written it up any better, especially in the type of game that
was played out there today,” said manager Ron Washington, whose team begins a long road stint on Thursday in Detroit.
“We did exactly what we had to do.”
Choo, batting third for a fourth straight game, was hit by a pitch and had a base hit and run scored in the Rangers’ three-run first inning, keyed by shortstop Elvis Andrus’ two-run homer and right fielder Alex Rios’ run-scoring single.
Designated hitter Robinson Cano had two hits for Seattle, including a two-run homer in Seattle’s three-run fourth that tied the score momentarily. Cano was 2-for-4 and also had a double, but he struck out with center fielder James Jones at second with one out in the eighth.
“We battled a lot of elements today … we came out on the short end,” Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said. “I thought our guys gave a great effort today.”
Right-handed pitcher Chris Young (3-2) was charged for all of the Rangers’ runs in taking the loss for Seattle (22-23).
The Rangers played a fourth game without first baseman Prince Fielder, who has been out with a herniated disk in his neck. Outfielder Leonys Martin sat a second consecutive game with a stiff neck.
“He gave us quality innings after the first inning,” McClendon said of Young. “Got us in a position to use the bullpen and not stretch anybody.”
The Rangers also had not gotten much out of Choo in the past few games. He entered having failed to reach base in three of his last five after reaching safely in 30 of the team’s first 34 games.
Choo also had 15 strikeouts and just one walk in his last nine games. He struck out looking on Tuesday.
Tepesch left the game after issuing consecutive one-out walks in the seventh, but his lead was preserved by left-hander Robbie Ross, the recently demoted starter who induced an inning-ending double play out of pinch-hitter Stefen Romero.
Texas left-hander Neal Cotts pitched around James’ leadoff walk in the eighth, leaving him stranded at second by striking out Cano and third baseman Kyle Seager.
The Rangers jumped on Young early, scoring three in the bottom of the first. Andrus’ home run scored left fielder Daniel Robertson, who walked to start the game, and Rios drove in Choo with Texas’ third run.
Seattle touched Tepesch for three in the fourth.
Jones led off with a triple, which increased his hitting streak to 11 games, and scored on right fielder Michael Saunders’ base hit. Cano followed with a home run to deep center field.
“I got out of my lanes a little bit,” Tepesch said of the Seattle fourth. “Left some pitches up over the plate.
“I don’t feel any added pressure. I’m just trying to take every opportunity and try and run with it.”
