ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers were six outs away from another victory. Instead, they were left searching for answers after a painful extra-inning loss.
Manny Machado delivered the decisive blow with a three-run homer in the 10th inning, helping the San Diego Padres rally for a 6-4 victory over Texas on Saturday afternoon at Globe Life Field.
The defeat was a tough one for the Rangers, who saw a 3-1 lead disappear after the seventh inning. It marked Texas’ first loss of the season when leading after seven frames after opening the year 31-0 in those situations. It was also the club’s first extra-inning defeat of 2026 after beginning the season 2-0 in games that extended beyond nine innings.
Texas has now dropped four of its last five games and eight of its last 13, though the Rangers can still secure the series win in Sunday’s rubber match.
The Rangers appeared poised for victory when Jake Burger launched a two-run homer into the Texas bullpen in the seventh inning, turning a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 advantage. The blast continued Burger’s recent surge, extending his hitting streak to seven games.
San Diego answered in the eighth. Machado chopped an RBI groundout to cut the deficit to one before Jackson Merrill tied the game with a run-scoring single, sending the contest into extra innings.
The Rangers briefly regained momentum in the bottom of the 10th when Wyatt Langford delivered an RBI infield single, but Machado responded immediately in the top half of the inning. After Fernando Tatis Jr. helped set the stage, Machado drove a three-run shot to left field that silenced the Globe Life crowd and put the Padres ahead for good.
Machado finished 2-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs, accounting for nearly all of San Diego’s offense. Merrill added three hits, an RBI, and two stolen bases, while Tatis scored three runs and collected a pair of doubles.
San Diego’s pitching staff also played a major role, combining for a season-high 17 strikeouts. The Rangers matched that total offensively, striking out 17 times themselves — their highest single-game strikeout total in nearly a year.
Texas starter MacKenzie Gore turned in a strong outing despite receiving a no-decision. Making the start after Nathan Eovaldi was scratched earlier in the day, the left-hander allowed one run over six innings while striking out six. Gore settled in after Machado’s RBI double in the third and retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced.
Padres starter Walker Buehler was equally effective. The veteran right-hander limited Texas to one run across 5 1/3 innings and struck out seven before exiting with the game tied.
Offensively, Langford continued his hot stretch, finishing with two RBIs. The young outfielder tied the game with a double in the sixth and later drove in Texas’ extra-inning run. Over his last eight games, Langford has emerged as one of the American League’s hottest hitters.
Josh Jung also stayed productive at the plate, collecting a single and double for his 25th multi-hit game of the season. His .305 batting average remains among the best in the American League.
Jarred Kelenic recorded a seventh-inning single in his first start with Texas since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock, while Brandon Nimmo added a pair of hits.
The Padres improved to 3-1 in extra-inning games this season and continued their recent dominance over Texas, winning for the 16th time in the clubs’ last 19 meetings dating back to 2020.
The series concludes Sunday afternoon, with both teams looking to leave Arlington with a series victory.
