The Texas Rangers beat the San Diego Padres 11-3 in Surprise, Ariz., and lost 6-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Glendale, Ariz., as part of split squad games Sunday.
In the home game against San Diego, the Rangers never trailed in matching the club’s highest run total this spring (also 2/25 at CLE), setting a season-best in hits (16) while posting the first Texas win in Surprise this year. Don Wakamatsu managed the home game for the club. The offense scored 8 runs in the 3rd inning, all after the first 2 hitters in the frame were retired, as 8 straight batters reached safely. The scoring in that inning was capped by a 2-run home run from Rougned Odor, who hit a towering shot to the grass berm down the right field line. Odor also doubled in the first inning. Elvis Andrus had an RBI single in the 3rd inning, and he has hit safely in each of his first 3 games this spring at 4-for-7. Asdrúbal Cabrera went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and he made a difficult charge-and-throw play to record the final out of the 5th inning, saving a run.
Shin-Soo Choo had an RBI single as part of the Rangers’ barrage in the 3rd inning. Danny Santana recorded 2 hits, 2 RBI, 2 runs, and a stolen base, and he has gone 5-for-11 with 2 walks in his last 6 games to raise his spring batting average to .357. Starter Brock Burke retired all 6 batters faced with 3 strikeouts, combining with relievers Adrian Sampson, Zach McAllister and Brett Martin to allow just one unearned run over the game’s first 7 innings. Of the Rangers’ 51 runs this spring (including both games today), 23 have scored in the offense’s 3 biggest innings (45.1%): 9-run 8th on 2/25 at CLE, 6-run 2nd on 2/28 at LAA, and today’s 8-run 3rd inning. Joey Gallo had a bunt single to beat the shift in the 4th inning, and Nolan Fontana finished 1-for-2 to raise his spring average to .412. Carlos Tocci doubled in the win and Jeff Mathis had a single and walk.
The Los Angeles Dodgers scored four runs in the third inning en route to a 6-3 victory over the Rangers split squad managed by Chris Woodward at Glendale. Texas scored three times off Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda in the top of the first inning on Nomar Mazara’s ground out and a two-run homer by Matt Davidson, his third blast of the spring. In his first outing of the spring, Rangers’ starter Lance Lynn struck out A.J. Pollock, Max Muncy, and David Freese in the first inning. He then allowed one run in the second and departed with two on and two out in the bottom of the third inning after an Alex Verdugo two-run double tied the game at 3-3.
Jesse Chavez came on to issue a two-run single to Austin Barnes to make it 5-3. Overall, Lynn allowed three hits and five runs with two walks and five strikeouts in his 2.2 innings. Chavez worked 2.1 scoreless frames after permitting the two inherited runners to score. Jordan Romano retired all three batters faced in the seventh inning and has pitched 3.0 scoreless innings in his three appearances this spring. The Rangers were blanked over the final eight innings by eight Dodgers pitchers. Hunter Pence had two of Texas’ five hits and reach base three times with a double and a walk.
The Rangers host the Rockies on Monday in a 2:05 p.m. CT game in Surprise, with RHP Edinson Vólquez starting for Texas against Colorad RHP German Márquez. A free audio webcast of the game and be found at texasrangers.com, with Jared Sandler and Nashville Sounds broadcaster Jeff Hem calling the action.
From Rangers PR staff reports