Jake Rogers hit two home runs, including one that broke the tie in the eighth inning, as the Detroit Tigers defeated the Texas Rangers 2-1 on Monday night, bringing their record back to .500.
Rogers, originally from West Texas and residing in Frisco, a Dallas suburb, hit his first home run against Nathan Eovaldi in the third inning. His second homer, a decisive hit against José Leclerc, landed just inside the left-field foul pole.
This marked Rogers’ third two-homer game in the majors, doubling his season home run count. His homers also matched his career high for home runs at Globe Life Field and Angel Stadium.
Rogers’ first home run ended a 20-inning scoreless streak by Texas pitchers.
Beau Brieske, pitching in relief, earned his first win with three scoreless innings and four strikeouts. Brieske’s solid performance prompted Tigers manager A.J. Hinch to let him finish the game, retiring all but one of his batters with strikeouts.
With their second consecutive win, the Tigers improved their record to 30-30.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy was absent due to a personal matter, with associate manager Will Venable stepping in.
Despite out-hitting the Tigers 8-4, the Rangers struggled to capitalize on their opportunities, going 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight runners on base.
Marcus Semien’s leadoff homer was the Rangers’ only run, coming off Tigers starter Tarik Skubal, who allowed seven hits over six innings, lowering his ERA to 1.97.
