ARLINGTON, Texas — One night after an emphatic victory, the Texas Rangers found themselves on the wrong side of a lopsided result.
The Los Angeles Angels erupted for a season-high 13 runs and powered past Texas 13-1 on Wednesday night at Globe Life Field, handing the Rangers their most one-sided loss of the season and dropping them back to an even 46-46.
Despite the defeat, Texas remained just a half-game behind the Seattle Mariners in the American League West after Seattle also lost Wednesday night.
The game turned in the middle innings as the Angels broke through against left-hander MacKenzie Gore. After limiting the damage early, Gore ran into trouble in the fourth and fifth innings, where Los Angeles scored six combined runs.
Jo Adell delivered the decisive blows, launching a two-run homer in the fourth before crushing a three-run shot in the fifth to cap a five-RBI night. The two home runs marked Adell’s second multi-homer game of the season and helped push his RBI total to 52.
Gore (season-high seven earned runs allowed) took the loss after surrendering nine hits and two home runs over five innings while striking out seven. It marked his second consecutive losing decision despite recording seven strikeouts and only one walk in each outing.
The Angels continued to pour on the offense throughout the night.
Vaughn Grissom enjoyed one of the best performances of his season, collecting four hits and driving in four runs. Zach Neto added three hits, including a pair of doubles, while Mike Trout made an immediate impact in his return from the injured list. Trout drew a walk, scored twice and launched a two-run homer in the eighth inning, his 18th home run of the season and the 48th of his career against Texas—the most by any opposing player since the Rangers moved to Texas in 1972.
Los Angeles also received strong work from its pitching staff.
Starter Walbert Ureña escaped multiple jams despite issuing five walks over four scoreless innings, holding Texas to one hit while stranding every baserunner. Reliever Samy Natera Jr. followed with two perfect innings, striking out five to earn the first Major League victory of his career.
The Rangers struggled to capitalize on opportunities all night, finishing hitless in eight at-bats with runners aboard. Their lone run came in the eighth inning when Kyle Higashioka connected on a pinch-hit solo home run, the only bright spot offensively for Texas.
Higashioka later pitched the ninth inning in relief, becoming the first Rangers player since Yu Darvish in 2016 to homer and pitch in the same game.
Texas has now dropped to 4-8 this season in games immediately following a victory by five or more runs, continuing an inconsistent stretch as the club tries to gain ground in the division race.
The Rangers and Angels conclude their three-game series Thursday afternoon at Globe Life Field, with Texas looking to avoid dropping the series after splitting the first two games.
