Wyatt Langford and Jonah Heim each achieved career highs with four hits apiece as the Texas Rangers dominated the Tampa Bay Rays 13-2 on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep.
The Rangers recorded 19 hits in total, batting around twice in both the fourth and fifth innings.
Manager Bruce Bochy highlighted the standout performances: “You look at what Wyatt did. Jonah. We had some big days. It was good to see them break out.”
Pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (6-3) allowed two runs and four hits over seven innings, maintaining an impressive home record of 5-0 with a 1.99 ERA and a .166 opponents’ batting average in 10 starts.
Reflecting on his performance, Eovaldi commented on his effective fastball command: “I thought I had really good fastball command. Usually if I have pretty good fastball command, I have a really good day.”
The defending World Series champions, Texas, have been strong at home, winning eight of their last ten games at Globe Life Field, but have struggled on the road with an 18-27 record.
Tampa Bay suffered its first three-game sweep of the season, being outscored 20-5 after previously winning five consecutive series. The Rays allowed season highs in both runs and hits in Sunday’s game.
Manager Kevin Cash expressed disappointment with his team’s offensive output: “That’s not going to be enough. Their pitchers did a good job, but I’d like to think we can have some better at-bats and find ways to score runs.”
Langford contributed throughout the game with an RBI double in the first inning, singles in the fourth and fifth innings, and another single in the eighth. Heim showcased his power with a home run, a double, and two singles, driving in two runs.
Travis Jankowski also made an impact with two hits and three RBIs, including a crucial swinging bunt in the fifth inning that drove in two runs.
