Josh Smith gave Texas its first lead with a two-run single in the seventh inning, and the Rangers came back from two separate two-run deficits to beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-4 on Saturday night.
Smith’s sharp hit to right field completed a three-run rally that put the Rangers ahead 5-4. This came right after Marcus Semien’s RBI single, which followed a rough stretch where he had gone 5-for-39.
Victor Mederos (0-1) had just walked the eighth and ninth batters with two outs, with the first walk being due to a pitch-clock violation.
Jose Leclerc (6-4) got the two batters he faced out in the seventh inning. All-Star closer Kirby Yates then pitched the ninth inning, earning his 28th save in 29 opportunities.
“At this point in the season, just to show that fight kind of shows what everybody’s made up a little bit,” Smith said.
Although the defending World Series champion Rangers (69-74) are nearly out of playoff contention, they have won nine of their last 12 games, their best stretch of the season. They remain 8 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Houston and 7 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot with 19 games left to play.
“We know where we’re at, and so it’s up to us to keep going out there and playing hard, trying to win ballgames,” manager Bruce Bochy said after the Rangers’ 32nd comeback win this season.
With the Globe Life Park roof open for the first time since May 17, Taylor Ward led off the game with his 22nd home run, which barely cleared the 8-foot wall in left field, extending his on-base streak to 17 games.
Zach Neto, the No. 2 batter, was hit by a pitch before Rangers rookie starter Jack Leiter retired 15 of the next 17 batters, including Anthony Rendon on a sacrifice fly that brought Neto in for a 2-0 lead.
Leiter had a career-high six strikeouts in his sixth start. The 24-year-old right-hander, who was the second pick in the 2021 amateur draft, made his third straight start in the Rangers’ rotation.
