ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Alejandro Osuna hit a three-run homer during a five-run eighth inning and the Texas Rangers pulled away for an 8-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.
Osuna’s first homer of the season followed RBI singles by Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue in the six-hit inning off Sam Bachman (1-2). Foscue also hit a pinch-hit home run in the seventh, tying the score 3-3.
Peyton Gray (4-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win for the Rangers, who pulled within one-half game of first-place Seattle in the AL West.
The last-place Angels have lost seven consecutive games, tying their longest losing streak of the season.
Rangers starter Jacob deGrom left after throwing 80 pitches in five innings because of an issue with his left hip and leg. DeGrom said he's often felt tightness there between starts, but it usually goes away before he pitches again. This time it remained, preventing him from throwing change-ups, and tightened in the fifth inning. He expects to make his next start.
DeGrom suffered first-inning struggles before settling in, his pattern this season. He allowed a pair of two-out runs in the first on Jorge Soler’s double that one-hopped the left field wall and Josh Lowe’s single to shallow left following a wild pitch.
DeGrom didn’t allow another run, giving up five hits and two walks. In 18 starts this season, deGrom has a 9.50 ERA in the first inning and 2.29 afterward.
Texas tied the score 2-2 in the second on Nicky Lopez’s two-out, opposite-field single to left following two walks by José Soriano, who leads the AL with 51 walks. Soriano didn’t walk another batter and gave up only two hits in six innings.
Rookie Wade Meckler’s RBI single off Chris Martin in the seventh gave Los Angeles a 3-2 lead before Foscue homered off Tayler Saucedo.
The Angels won the first three games against the Rangers this season.
Up next
Angels rookie RHP Walbert Ureña (5-7, 3.03 ERA) faces Rangers LHP MacKenzie Gore (5-7, 4.31) in Wednesday’s game.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
The Associated Press
