The Rangers beat the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night in Goodyear, 6-5, scoring 3 times in the 9th inning for a last at-bat victory. The club is now 5-0 in night contests this spring.
Adolis García played the hero for the Rangers in the final inning. Down to his final strike with 2 outs and the club trailing by one run in the 9th, García hit a go-ahead 2-run double off the wall in center field. García, who has gone 3-for-4 with a home run and double over his past 3 games, is now tied for the team lead with 11 RBI this spring (also Joey Gallo).
Prior to García’s heroics, Texas had scored each of its 3 runs to that point in the 2nd inning to take a 3-0 lead. Leody Taveras hit a 2-run double to key that 2nd inning, scoring Delino DeShields and Anderson Tejeda after both had reached on consecutive 2-out walks. Joey Gallo hit a double off the right field wall in the 1st inning, as 8 of his 10 spring hits have now gone for extra bases (5 HR, 2 2B, 1 3B). Andy Ibáñez went 2-for-4 with a double and run scored, including a single to start the Rangers’ 9th-inning rally.
Hyeon-jong Yang allowed 2 runs over 3.1 framers in his first start of the spring, with both runs allowed scoring on 4 Cincinnati hits in the 2nd inning. Kyle Cody showed flashes of dominance over his 3.0 hitless innings, recording 6 of 9 outs via strikeout to post a relief win. Hunter Wood finished the game for a save despite allowing a solo home run to Aristides Aquino.
The Rangers also edged the Royals by a 5-4 margin in a scheduled 10-inning ‘B’ game on the main field at Surprise Stadium this afternoon. Mike Foltynewicz started for Texas, pitching in 5 total innings, recording 4 outs 3 times, and also threw more in the bullpen after his exit: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R-ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR, 57 pitches/43 strikes. His only run allowed was a solo home run by Seuly Matias in the 3rd inning, one of 5 long balls in the game. Jason Martin (solo) and Cody Freeman (3-run) went deep for Texas, as Freeman’s blast in the 8th inning gave the Rangers the lead. David Dahl (1-for-4, RBI) saw his first game action since fouling a ball off his right knee on Mon. at COL. Texas is now 4-1-2 in ‘B’ games this spring (3-1-1 vs. KC).
The Rangers have another road night game on Thursday, traveling to Peoria for an 8:40 p.m. CT contest against the San Diego Padres. LHP Wes Benjamin (0-0, 5.79) will start for Texas against new Padres RHP Yu Darvish (1-0, 0.00).
From Rangers PR staff reports