Rangers Dispatch Braves for Sixth Straight Win
With a resounding 8-1 victory at Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers completed a three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves, their second consecutive sweep and sixth consecutive victory. Jack Leiter, a rookie, had a strong outing, giving up just one run on two hits and three walks while striking out seven batters in six strong innings. The lead was increased to 8-1 thanks to Josh Smith's two-run homer in the second inning, Wyatt Langford's bases-clearing double in the first, and Josh Jung's two-RBI single in the third. Texas improved to six games over .500 and remained within striking distance of the AL West and wild-card chase, while the Braves only managed four hits in the game and lost for the fifth time in a row.
After Langford's clutch two-out, three-run double in the bottom of the first inning, which sent Marcus Semien, Adolis García, and Smith on via walks or hits without a hit of their own, Texas took a commanding early lead. Drake Baldwin was scored by Sean Murphy's ground-rule and bloop double in the second inning to give the Braves the lead, but it was only temporary. Smith and Jonah Heim hit a two-run homer later that frame to make it 5-1 Texas. Jung ripped a two-run single, and Heim added an RBI single to extend the lead to 8-1, forcing Atlanta to use the bullpen early in the third inning as the Rangers continued to put pressure on Braves starter Bryce Elder.
Throughout the rest of the game, there were no other runs scored. The Braves ended up putting in pitchers Dylan Dodd and Hunter Stratton, which helped the Braves by not letting the Rangers get any other runs. On the other hand, for the Rangers' pitching, Leiter was able to pitch six innings, only giving up two hits, while Caleb Boushley and Cole Winn got some play time as well, both of them giving up only a total of three hits in the span of three innings. The Rangers held their ground today against the Braves, showing no mercy in the first three innings.
Tomorrow, the Atlanta Braves will play the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. With a 44–59 record going into the game, the Braves had dropped their last five games, including a recent series sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers. Their pitching staff has a mid-tier ERA of about 4.0, while their offense has struggled, finishing in the bottom half of MLB for important measures like wRC⁺ and OPS. The Royals, who have a 51–54 record, have split their previous ten games and have been more competitive lately. While their pitchers try to limit the Royals' lineup, the Braves will have to rely on their core hitters, such as Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña Jr., to produce offense. The Braves have a chance to pick up steam in this game because both clubs are looking for a turnaround.
