GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Rangers lost the Reds, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon. Shelby Miller started and limited the home team to one run in his 3.2 innings of work, the club’s 3rd straight game for the starter to allow 2-or-fewer runs. Miller exited with one on and one out in the 4th inning before Jeanmar Gómez closed out the frame, and Miller also escaped harm in the 3rd inning by inducing a bases-loaded ground ball double play to keep the Rangers within a run at the time.
Logan Forsythe hit his 1st home run of the spring, tying the game at 1-1 in the 5th inning with a solo shot to left field off Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani. Center fielder Danny Santana briefly kept the game tied in the bottom of the frame by throwing out Scooter Gennett at home plate as he attempted to score from 2nd on a single, but the next 2 Cincinnati batters hit home runs off reliever Jesse Chavez to quickly push the Reds in front, 5-1. Texas scored its 2nd and final run in the 6th, when Danny Santana legged out a triple and was followed by an RBI double down the left field line by Hunter Pence. The double extended Pence’s hitting streak to 8 games, and he has batted .480 (12-25) with 3 home runs, 3 doubles, and 7 RBI during that span.
Of the Rangers’ 7 total hits, 5 went for extra bases. Demarcus Evans, the Rangers’ 2018 Minor League Reliever of the Year, and Tyler Thomas both made their spring ‘A’ game debuts, working scoreless 7th and 8th innings, respectively. Evans struck out 2 of 3 batters faced.
LHP Drew Smyly (4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R-ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, 1 HR, 60 pitches/38 strikes) started for Nashville (AAA) today against the Mariners’ Tacoma affiliate on Rangers Field 6 in Surprise. He also recorded one pickoff/CS. Asdrúbal Cabrera was also on the back fields today seeking extra at-bats in the Double-A and Triple-A games.
The Rangers will host the Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon in a 3:05 p.m. CT contest at Surprise Stadium.
From Rangers PR staff reports