Rangers look to get back on winning track vs. Athletics
The Texas Rangers aim to get back above .500 when they continue a nine-game homestand by hosting the Athletics on Monday in the first of a three-game series in Arlington, Texas.
The Athletics will send left-hander Jacob Lopez (3-5, 4.20 ERA) to the mound to start while their American League West rivals will counter with rookie right-hander Jack Leiter (5-6, 4.37).
Texas comes into the series after taking two games from AL Central-leading Detroit over the weekend but dropping the final game of the set 2-1 on Sunday evening. The Rangers collected just 12 total hits in the three games (four in each contest) but gave the league-leading Tigers all they wanted and more.
The Athletics lost twice in three games in Cleveland, most recently an 8-2 setback on Sunday. The loss was made even worse by the injury suffered by outfielder Denzel Clarke as he ran the bases in the eighth inning. He was lifted from the game with right hip discomfort and is listed as day-to-day pending further evaluation.
Leiter has been enigmatic this season, starting off the year with four wins over his first nine starts before enduring a stretch of six starts with four losses and no victories. That swoon ended in his most recent outing as Leiter allowed three runs on five hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings in a game the Rangers won 7-3 at Houston on July 11.
'Not in a negative way, but there's so many things I can do better,' Leiter said. 'I think just the room for improvement feels very high. It's just a matter of continuing to get better, learn these small lessons, learn from the guys.'
Leiter has not recorded a decision and has amassed a 4.91 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against the Athletics. Both of those came last season as he surrendered six runs (four of them earned) on nine hits and three walks in 7 1/3 innings.
Lopez has made 14 appearances for the Athletics in 2025, with 10 of them starts. He has been solid over his past seven starts, going 3-1 and allowing more than two runs only twice of those seven games.
Lopez yielded two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five in winning his most recent start at home over Toronto on July 12. He has been successful because of his overall command of the strike zone, by working the count to his advantage with plenty of first-pitch strikes and -- for the most part --avoiding walks.
'I only throw low-90s or whatever people want to say, but I have five pitches that I like to mix in,' Lopez said. 'I think that's a huge part of pitching. I'm just keeping hitters off-balance and trying to be smart.'
Lopez has faced the Rangers twice in his career, with both of those appearances this season. He threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief at home on April 22 before absorbing a loss a week later on the road when he allowed three runs on six hits and a season-high four walks over 2 2/3 innings.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canada News.Net
5 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
MLB roundup: After rain delay, Twins walk-off Red Sox
(Photo credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images) Brooks Lee hit a walk-off, two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting the Minnesota Twins to a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night in Minneapolis. The game was delayed by violent storms before the start of the bottom of the ninth. The teams resumed after more than an hour delay, and the Twins promptly rallied for the victory. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. singled before Red Sox reliever Jordan Hicks (1-7) hit back-to-back batters with pitches. Boston got a forceout at home before Lee singled to left. Keirsey went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer. Christian Vazquez also drove in a run for the Twins, and Royce Lewis had two hits. Alex Bregman went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer for Boston. Roman Anthony went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Wilyer Abreu had three hits. Angels 6, Rangers 4 Kevin Newman and Luis Rengifo hit two-run homers and Taylor Ward added a solo shot, leading Los Angeles to a victory over Texas in the opener of a three-game series at Anaheim, Calif. Gustavo Campero went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and a run for the Angels, who snapped the Rangers' six-game winning streak by logging their third victory in four games. Kenley Jansen pitched 1 1/3 innings of hitless, scoreless relief to notch his 19th save. Josh Jung homered and Josh Smith tripled and scored for Texas, which took just its second loss in 10 games. Jacob deGrom (10-3) gave up a season-high five runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings while striking out eight and walking one. It was deGrom's first loss since May 26. Padres 7, Mets 6 Elias Diaz's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted San Diego to a wild win over visiting New York. Robert Suarez (3-4) got the win despite blowing the save when Ronny Mauricio cracked a one-out solo homer in the top of the ninth to tie the game. Padres starter Dylan Cease gave up five runs on five hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings, striking out nine. Mets starter Frankie Montas left after 4 1/3 innings, permitting eight hits and five runs while walking two and fanning three. Mariners 3, Athletics 1 Luis Castillo pitched seven strong innings and Josh Naylor smacked his first homer with the Mariners to help Seattle post a victory over the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif. Naylor had two hits and scored twice for the Mariners, who are three games behind the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West. Cal Raleigh notched two hits and an RBI and Ben Williamson produced two hits, one run and a big defensive play for Seattle. Castillo (8-6) allowed one run and five hits. Brent Rooker had an RBI for the Athletics, who were coming off a four-game road sweep of the Astros. A's starter JP Sears (7-9) gave up three runs (two earned) and five hits over 4 1/3 innings. Athletics All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson (left hand) sat out his third straight game. Brewers 8, Cubs 4 Christian Yelich had a two-run homer and Milwaukee overcame a shaky first inning from All-Star rookie Jacob Misiorowski to rally for a victory over visiting Chicago in the opener of the three-game series between the National League Central leaders. The Brewers, who moved into first place one game ahead of the Cubs, erased a 3-0 first-inning deficit with four runs in the third off Matthew Boyd (11-4). Andrew Vaughn had a solo homer, his ninth, in the fifth and Sal Frelick had a solo shot, his eighth, an inning later to make it 6-3. Misiorowski finished his 80-pitch outing with three scoreless innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits. The Cubs took a 3-0 lead in the first with the aid of a wild pitch and throwing error in a 40-pitch inning against Misiorowski. Tigers 5, Diamondbacks 1 Dillon Dingler had a solo homer and two singles, and Troy Melton pitched seven shutout innings to collect his first career victory as host Detroit downed Arizona to open a three-game series. In his second career start since being promoted from Triple-A Toledo, Melton (1-1) surrendered five singles without issuing a walk for the Tigers. Andy Ibanez, also recalled from Toledo earlier in the day, added a home run, a double and two runs. Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez (3-7) gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings. Alek Thomas hit a solo shot for the Diamondbacks, who have lost six of their last seven contests. Rays 4, Yankees 2 Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer and the Rays pulled back above .500 with a victory over the host Yankees. Rays starter Drew Rasmussen (8-5) allowed a pair of run-scoring walks in the first inning before pitching five innings, holding the Yankees scoreless the rest of the way. Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler (1-1) allowed three runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings during his third career start. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out five and walked four. Nationals 2, Astros 1 Riley Adams clubbed a two-out, tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning, and visiting Washington edged reeling Houston. Adams socked his sixth homer of the season to right field off Astros reliever Bryan King (3-2). Reliever Konnor Pilkington (2-0) got two outs in the sixth, and Kyle Finnegan recorded his 20th save with a perfect ninth. The Astros took their sixth consecutive home loss, their fifth straight defeat overall. The Nationals won their third game in a row. Houston starter Framber Valdez fanned 12 in six innings. Cardinals 7, Marlins 1 Andre Pallante allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings as St. Louis defeated visiting Miami. Pallante (6-7) struck out four and walked one while enjoying quite a turnaround from his previous three starts, when he allowed 18 runs, 17 earned, on 25 hits in 15 2/3 innings. Masyn Winn went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run and three RBIs for the Cardinals, who won for just the fourth time in 11 games since the All-Star break. Alec Burleson had a homer, two runs and two RBIs. Marlins starter Edward Cabrera (4-5) allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits in six innings. Braves 10, Royals 7 Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna each hit a two-run homer, Austin Riley homered and drove in four, and visiting Atlanta emerged with a win over Kansas City. The Royals tied a franchise record by issuing 14 walks, a mark reached four times previously. The Braves' offense matched its best-ever walk total, equally a record achieved twice before. Riley broke things open with a three-run double in the eighth for the Braves, who snapped a five-game losing streak. Atlanta's Spencer Strider (5-8) allowed two first-inning runs but no more while grinding into the sixth. Rich Hill (0-2) walked six and allowed four runs and three hits in four innings during his second start for Kansas City, which had won five of the previous seven. Dodgers 5, Reds 2 Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed just one run with nine strikeouts over seven innings, and Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run double to send the visiting Dodgers to a win over the Reds. Yamamoto (9-7) matched a season-high seven innings, allowing just four hits and one run. The right-hander improved his road record to 6-3 in 11 starts. The only blemish on his slate was an RBI groundout by former Dodger Gavin Lux in the first inning. Ohtani walked twice and cashed in a pair of runners to break a 1-1 tie with a double to center field off Cincinnati starter Chase Burns (0-3). Pirates 6, Giants 5 Andrew McCutchen broke a tie with a seventh-inning homer, the Pittsburgh bullpen threw seven innings of two-run ball and the Pirates ran their winning streak to three in a row with a triumph at San Francisco. Nick Gonzales also homered for the Pirates. Yohan Ramirez (1-0) pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings, and David Bednar recorded his 17th save despite allowing a run in the ninth. Willy Adames totaled three hits and two RBIs for the Giants, who have lost four straight, all at home. Reliever Carson Seymour (0-1) permitted two runs in three innings. Orioles 11, Blue Jays 4 Cedric Mullins and Coby Mayo belted back-to-back homers and Adley Rutschman had a big night at the plate in his first game off the injured list as Baltimore topped visiting Toronto. Ramon Laureano and Colton Cowser also homered and Jordan Westburg joined Rutschman and Mayo with three hits apiece. The Orioles finished with 16 hits as they won their third game in a row. Corbin Martin (1-0) pitched 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief for his first win since 2019. Bo Bichette had four hits and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Nathan Lukes homered for the Blue Jays, who have lost two games in a row for the first time since the All-Star break. White Sox 6, Phillies 2 Colson Montgomery and Luis Robert Jr. homered and Davis Martin pitched 5 2/3 sharp innings to help host Chicago to a victory against the Phillies. Chicago has won the first game in each of its four series since the All-Star break and is 7-3 out of the break overall. Robert connected for a go-ahead, two-run blast to the opposite field in the fourth as Chicago struck against Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez, a National League Cy Young award contender, in key spots. Sanchez (9-3) had allowed just four earned runs with 31 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings over his past four starts entering Monday. Rockies 8, Guardians 6 Tyler Freeman had three RBIs against his former team and Hunter Goodman homered and drove in two runs over the last two innings, giving visiting Colorado a wild victory over Cleveland. Colorado rookie Warming Bernabel homered for the second game in a row. The Rockies scored four times in the ninth to erase a 5-4 deficit against Cade Smith (2-4), who retired one batter and gave up four runs, one earned. Tyler Kinley (1-3) was the winner, and Seth Halvorsen gave up Nolan Jones' RBI single in the bottom of the ninth but still earned his 11th save. The game was delayed 2 1/2 hours at the start due to rain.
Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Seattle Mariners and Athletics meet in game 2 of series
Seattle Mariners (57-50, second in the AL West) vs. Athletics (46-63, fifth in the AL West) West Sacramento, California; Tuesday, 10:05 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Mariners: Logan Evans (4-3, 4.40 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 43 strikeouts); Athletics: Luis Severino (4-11, 4.95 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 92 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Mariners -118, Athletics -102; over/under is 10 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Seattle Mariners play the Athletics with a 1-0 series lead. The Athletics have a 46-63 record overall and a 20-32 record in home games. The Athletics have the eighth-ranked team on-base percentage in the AL at .315. Seattle is 57-50 overall and 29-26 on the road. The Mariners have the eighth-ranked team batting average in the AL at .246. The matchup Tuesday is the ninth time these teams square off this season. The Mariners have a 5-3 advantage in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Tyler Soderstrom has 17 doubles, a triple, 19 home runs and 60 RBIs for the Athletics. Nick Kurtz is 23 for 41 with nine doubles, a triple and six home runs over the last 10 games. Josh Naylor leads the Mariners with a .294 batting average, and has 19 doubles, a triple, 12 home runs, 38 walks and 60 RBIs. Julio Rodriguez is 12 for 44 with four home runs and five RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Athletics: 5-5, .263 batting average, 3.56 ERA, outscored opponents by 13 runs Mariners: 5-5, .207 batting average, 3.75 ERA, outscored by 15 runs INJURIES: Athletics: Denzel Clarke: 10-Day IL (abductor), Max Muncy: 10-Day IL (hand), Grant Holman: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Gunnar Hoglund: 60-Day IL (hip), Jose Leclerc: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Brady Basso: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Luis Medina: 60-Day IL (elbow) Mariners: Bryce Miller: 15-Day IL (elbow), Collin Snider: 15-Day IL (forearm), Gregory Santos: 60-Day IL (knee), Victor Robles: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ryan Bliss: 60-Day IL (biceps) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Canada News.Net
17 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Canadian teen, American Brianna Do among AIG Women's Open qualifiers
(Photo credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images) American Brianna Do and Canadian Anna Huang were among the 17 players to earn spots in this week's AIG Women's Open via Monday's 18-hole qualifier. The AIG Women's Open begins Thursday at Wales' Royal Porthcawl. Huang, the youngest player on the Ladies European Tour at 16, posted the low round Monday with her 4-under par 67 at Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club. She was followed by Ireland's Anna Foster and Thailand's Arpichaya Yubol at 3 under. 'I'm delighted with my score,' said Huang, who is No. 521 in the Rolex Women's Rankings. 'I don't play links golf, so it took a couple of practice rounds to get used to it, but I think I handled it pretty well. I played in the U.S. Open this year so this will be my second major championship. I learned a lot from that week and bringing more patience into this week will be really helpful.' Do, 35, tied for eighth at 1 under. The 2011 Women's Amateur Public Links champion will play in her first Women's Open since 2016. Ranked 351st, she is coming off a T23 in June at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and a T59 three weeks ago at the Evian Championship. 'A few years ago, I was first alternate for the Evian, and I didn't get in, so I came over to Scotland and played quite a bit of golf,' Do said. 'I played the Old Course, Prestwick, Elie, so I played quite a bit for fun, and it was amazing. I learned quite a bit there but not in a tournament sense.' Among the five Americans who fell short in qualifying was 2017 major champion and four-time United States Solheim Cup player Danielle Kang, who shot a 73. Despite failing to qualify for her 13th Women's Open, Kang said she is not disappointed. 'Not even a little bit,' she said. 'I met unbelievably great people here. I got to play with a bunch of members at Porthcawl, and I got to know everybody at Pyle and Kenfig. It's been great.' Australia's Hira Naveed (69) and New Zealand's Momoko Kobori (70), teammates at Pepperdine from 2017-19, both qualified. All 17 qualifiers for this week's 144-golfer field finished under par.
