*Photo from Lone Star Ball*
The stars weren't bright, but they won anyway. Josh Smith drove in two RBI's, Jonah Heim matched him, and the Texas Rangers defeated the Detroit Tigers with a 9-1 victory Wednesday in Arlington.
The win avoids a sweep at the hands of the Tigers for the Rangers, who now stand just under .500 at 30-32. Rangers starting pitcher Jose Urena also took a perfect game into the 6th inning for the Rangers, who had supporting cast players like Urena, Smith, and Heim deliver.
Corey Seager gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI single, departing after getting to first with hamstring tightness. In the 3rd inning, Smith made it 2-0 with a solo home run and Heim blasted a two run shot, making it 4-0. In the top of the 6th, Justyn-Henry Malloy hit a solo home run to get the Tigers on the board and make it a 4-1 game.
When the bottom of the 6th rolled around, the Rangers made it 6-1 when Heim scored on an error and Smith hit an RBI single. In the 8th, Ezequiel Duran hit an RBI single, Marcus Semien scored on an error, and Nathaniel Lowe added an RBI single of his own, extending the lead to 9-1. The Rangers nailed down the win after that.
Urena delivered on the mound for the Rangers, allowing one run on one hit and one walk in 6 2/3 innings, striking out 6 hitters. David Robertson pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief after Urena left, with Kirby Yates pitching the 9th to seal the win.
Heim said of Urena's start that "He had everything. He could throw his two-seamer wherever he wanted, and it helps that he throws it about 98-99 mph. We had a lot of quick outs. His slider was working, and the changeups. When he fell behind, he made a pitch when he needed to. One pitch we would take back there, or it could’ve been a pretty fun night."
Kenta Maeda started and couldn't get an out for the Tigers, leaving after just two pitches with an injury. Joey Wentz allowed 3 runs in 2 2/3 innings, Mason Englert allowed 3 in 3 1/3 innings, Andrew Chafin allowed 3 in 1/3 of an inning, while Will Vest had a scoreless appearance. Utility player Zach McKinstry pitched 2/3 of an inning.
Detroit manager AJ Hinch said of Maeda's injury that "He said he felt some issue with his right side back in the bullpen before the game started, didn’t really think much of it. He then came out and you could see him sort of poke at himself and looked uncomfortable. We had him throw a couple pitches. He was very easy in those, which actually gave us more concern because he didn’t even let it go like he was testing it all that much. So I took the ball."
Both teams have their weekend series at home, both starting Friday night. Michael Lorenzen toes the rubber for the Rangers against the San Francisco Giants while Reese Olson is lined up to get the start for the Tigers as they take on the Milwaukee Brewers.
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