*Photo from Fox News*
With some history in his life playing in Anaheim, DJ Peters was looking to do something special there again. He sure made his mark on this game. Peters hit two homers and drove in 4 runs, Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit an RBI single, and the Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 on Sunday afternoon.
Peters has had his share of moments at Angel stadium in his baseball career. He was a member of the Angels elite baseball travel team while he was in high school, and, on May 8, as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, recorded his first major league hit in Anaheim, so it was fitting that he helped the Rangers take the win this time around.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward said of Peters that "He's obviously got that relentless mentality. But his preparation, I feel, is right on point. This guy prepares better than anybody. He writes everything down. I think he's accumulated some knowledge about himself and about the league, and he's able to apply it on a daily basis. There's a lot of adjustments to be made as he moves forward, but it's been fun to watch."
Peters got the day started in the second inning, cranking a solo home run to center field and making it a 1-0 lead for the Rangers early on. In the 3rd, Kiner-Falefa scored on a fielding error, and Peters hit his second home run of the day, a 3 run shot to left field, opening the game up and making it a 5-0 lead for the Rangers. In the 4th, Jo Adell hit a solo home run for the Angels, getting them on the board to make it a 5-1 game.
In the 5th inning, Kiner-Falefa was able to score thanks to Jonah Heim drawing a bases loaded walk, upping the Rangers lead to 6-1. In the top of the 6th, an RBI single by Kiner-Falefa brought in Yonny Hernandez to make it a 7-1 lead. In the bottom of the 6th, Adell hit home run number two of the day, cutting the deficit to 7-3, but that was all the Angels could muster.
Woodward said of the win that "I think we put some pressure on them, especially with the day that DJ had. We probably left some runners out there. They had some young guys come in, and we took advantage of that. We got some good pitches to hit, and I love it, man. We've been applying pressure every game."
Taylor Hearn got the start for the Rangers, and picked up the win, moving to a 5-4 record this season. Hearn allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, walking no one and fanning 4 hitters in 7 innings pitched, a solid start for Hearn. Josh Sborz came in for the 8th inning and took care of business with two punchouts, and Joe Barlow struck out one in the 9th to seal the deal.
Janson Junk made his big league debut for the Angels, after being acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Yankees. Junk took the loss and fell to 0-1 this season, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and one walk, striking out his first two major league hitters, lasting 3 2/3 innings in his debut start. Jimmy Herget, Jake Petricka, Elvis Peguero, and Kyle Tyler pitched in relief.
Junk said of making his big league debut that "I felt good about it, other than the three-run home run. The curveball popped out of my hand a little bit. It was my first time throwing with the big league balls. Other than that, I was happy about it. I was commanding the zone. Throwing strikes. Not walking people. That's all you can ask for."
The Rangers and Angels wrap up their series tonight, with AJ Alexy starting the series finale for Texas, and Jaime Barria toeing the rubber for the Angels.
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