Rangers Roundup: August 16th

Bring out your brooms, the Rangers have swept the Rays! After dropping three in a row to the Mariners and Twins, the Rangers have won four in a row over the Twins and Rays to climb back into the thick of things in the AL. Ryan Strausborger belted his first Major League homerun in this one to help propel the Rangers to victory.

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Tampa Bay got on the board first as James Loney hit an RBI single to score Grady Sizemore in the top of the first. But Texas answered with two in the bottom of the first as Shin-Soo Choo hit an RBI double to deep center to score Delino DeShields. Later Adrian Beltre hit a sac fly to score Choo and make it 2-1 Rangers.

The Rays would strike back in the second with an RBI double from Kevin Kiermaier and an RBI single from John Jaso to take a 3-2 lead. But the Rangers wasted no time evening it up in the bottom of the second as DeShields singled to left center to score Bobby Wilson.

Jun 28, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (29) hits an RBI single against Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Blue Jays beat Rangers 3 – 2. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

In the third Beltre hit his second homer in as many days as he launched one 409 feet into left field to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead and it was followed by Strausborger’s blast in the fourth to put the Rangers up 5-3, which is how the game would end.

Yovani Gallardo pitched another solid outing, going 5.1 innings and allowing just three runs and fanning five while walking only one. Of the 99 pitches he threw 67 were strikes. From there Sam Freeman, Keone Kela, Sam Dyson and Shawn Tolleson finished it off as Tolleson picked up his 23rd save of the season.

With the Astros walk-off win over the Tigers the Rangers remain four games behind Houston for the top spot in the AL West. The Rangers are within a game of the Angels, who play tonight against the Royals. The Rangers will begin another set with the Mariners tomorrow night as Cole Hamels returns to take on Taijuan Walker. The Rangers have won seven straight at home but are just 2-7 against Seattle this season. Something have to give in this series.