Heaney pitches seven solid innings to help streaking Rangers beat Orioles

BALTIMORE (AP) — Andrew Heaney pitched seven innings of four-hit ball, Marcus Semien extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a pivotal two-run single and the Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 Saturday.

Robbie Grossman and Jonah Heim each had an RBI single for the Rangers, who have won 10 of 13. Their 33-18 record is best in Rangers history after 51 games, and they passed Baltimore (33-19) for second-best in the majors behind Tampa Bay.

“It's a start. Just tell yourself that,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “But these guys are playing so well right now. Starting pitching, Andrew goes out there and throws a beautiful game. We're just getting it done.”

After outscoring the Orioles 17-5 in the first two games of this three-game set, Texas is assured of winning a fifth straight road series for the first time since 2016.

“It's good to hit the road like this, but you have to keep pushing,” Bochy said.

Austin Hays homered for the Orioles, who disappointed a crowd of 37,939 with a lackluster performance at the plate for the second consecutive game. Baltimore failed to score until Hays connected in the seventh and trailed 5-1 before an uprising in the ninth was blunted with the potential tying run at the plate.

Heaney (4-3) extended an impressive stretch that began after he gave up seven runs in his first start of the season, at home against Baltimore. The left-hander has since gone 4-2 with a 2.75 ERA over his last nine starts.

“I threw a lot of changeups today,” Heaney said. “They've given me a real hard time in the past. I tried to beat a lot of those guys with heaters, and they have some guys who can get to those heaters at the top of the zone. So, I was trying to take their aggressiveness away.”

Heaney outpitched Dean Kremer (5-2), who allowed three runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings.

“I thought he really battled. He threw well,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. "The fastball command was really good, ton of life to his heater. Good cutter again. It’s a tough lineup to pitch to and he did a great job.”

After Grossman hit a run-scoring single in the second and Heim did the same in the fourth, Kremer was lifted in the seventh after issuing a one-out walk. Leody Taveras followed with a double off Bryan Baker, and Semien came through with a two-run single for a 4-0 lead.

ROSTER MOVES

Orioles: Optioned struggling rookie right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to Triple-A Norfolk and recalled reliever Keegan Akin from the same minor league club. Rodriguez, a 2018 first-round draft pick, has a 7.35 ERA in 10 starts and yielded nine runs (eight earned) in 3 1/3 innings on Friday night. “Not everyone comes up here and sets the world on fire," Hyde said. “Just kind of want to give him a reset.”

Rangers: Placed RHP Dane Dunning on the MLB paternity leave list and recalled LHP Cody Bradford from Triple-A Round Rock.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rangers: Placed INF/OF Ezequiel Duran on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Wednesday, with mild right oblique discomfort. Texas also activated OF Travis Jankowski (right hamstring strain) from the IL. ... RHP Jacob deGrom (right elbow inflammation) awaits the next step in his bid to come off the IL after throwing 31 pitches in a bullpen session Friday. “I don't know when he's going to throw again, to be honest with you,” Bochy said.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Dunning was slated to start the series finale. Now that the right-hander is on paternity leave, Bochy said after the game that he will use Bradford as his starter on Sunday instead.

Orioles: RHP Kyle Bradish (2-1, 4.34 ERA) makes his ninth start of the season, the second against Texas.

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