BALTIMORE (AP) — Andrew Heaney pitched seven innings of four-hit ball, Marcus Semien extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a pivotal two-run single and the Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 Saturday.
Robbie Grossman and Jonah Heim had an RBI single apiece for the Rangers, who have won 10 of 13. Their 33-18 record is best in Rangers history after 51 games, and they passed Baltimore (33-19) for second-best in the majors behind Tampa Bay.
After outscoring the Orioles 17-5 in the first two games of this three-game set, Texas is assured of winning a fifth straight road series for the first time since 2016.
Austin Hays homered for the Orioles, who disappointed a crowd of 37,939 with a lackluster performance at the plate for the second consecutive game. Baltimore failed to score until Hays connected in the seventh and trailed 5-1 before an uprising in the ninth was blunted with the potential tying run at the plate.
Heaney (4-3) extended an impressive stretch that began after he gave up seven runs in his first start of the season, at home against Baltimore. The left-hander has since gone 4-2 with a 2.75 ERA over his last nine starts.
Heaney outpitched Dean Kremer (5-2), who allowed three runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings.
After Grossman hit a run-scoring single in the second and Heim did the same in the fourth, Kremer was lifted in the seventh after issuing a one-out walk. Leody Taveras followed with a double off Bryan Baker, and Semien came through with a two-run single for a 4-0 lead.
ROSTER MOVES
Orioles: Optioned struggling rookie right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to Triple-A Norfolk and recalled reliever Keegan Akin from the same minor league club. Rodriguez, a 2018 first-round draft pick, has a 7.35 ERA in 10 starts and yielded nine runs (eight earned) in 3 1/3 innings on Friday night. “Not everyone comes up here and sets the world on fire,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Just kind of want to give him a reset.”
Rangers: Placed RHP Dane Dunning on the MLB paternity leave list and recalled LHP Cody Bradford from Triple-A Round Rock.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: Placed INF/OF Ezequiel Duran on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Wednesday, with mild right oblique discomfort. Texas also activated OF Travis Jankowski (right hamstring strain) from the IL. … RHP Jacob deGrom (right elbow inflammation) awaits the next step in his bid to come off the IL after throwing 31 pitches in a bullpen session Friday. “I don’t know when he’s going to throw again, to be honest with you,” manager Bruce Bochy said.
UP NEXT
Rangers: Dunning was slated to start the series finale Sunday. Now that the right-hander is on paternity leave, Bochy wanted to see how Saturday’s game played out before announcing Sunday’s starter.
Orioles: RHP Kyle Bradish (2-1, 4.34 ERA) makes his ninth start of the season, the second against Texas.
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