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Tampa Bay Rays pitchers combined to limit the Texas Rangers to just two hits on Thursday, securing a 3-2 victory according to Associated Press reporting, which notes the win lifts the American League East leaders to 20 games over .500 at 64-44, marking a high-water mark for their season.
Mullins Decisive Home Run Lifts Rays Past Rangers
Cedric Mullins delivered the decisive blow in the eighth inning, launching his 13th home run of the season with two outs. Facing Texas reliever Ben Peoples on the first pitch he saw, Mullins lifted a ball to the opposite field that cleared the wall near the left-field line. Jonny DeLuca also contributed a home run for Tampa Bay earlier in the contest, connecting for a 415-foot shot to left field in the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-2, as detailed by the Associated Press.
Texas initially opened the scoring in the fourth frame after Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan departed due to back stiffness. According to game accounts, McClanahan allowed the first two bateadores to reach base before exiting. Following a fly ball that advanced Ezequiel Durán to third, pinch-hitter Joc Pederson hit a grounder up the middle that infielder Taylor Walls couldn’t handle, allowing Durán to score. Wyatt Langford then drove in Alejandro Osuna with a double in the fifth to give the Rangers a brief 2-1 lead.
Bullpen Preserves Narrow Lead in Ninth
The final frame presented complications when Nickey Lopez drew a walk after winning two separate umpiring challenges on third-strike calls to open the inning. However, outfielder Víctor Mesa Jr. tracked down a sharp line drive in the right-field corner to deny pinch-hitter Evan Carter an extrabase hit. Baker subsequently struck out Ezequiel Durán with runners on first and second to end the threat.
Garrett Cleavinger picked up the victory in relief, improving his record to 3-3, while Ben Peoples took the loss for Texas, dropping to 0-1. The Rays manufactured their initial run in the third frame via a two-out double by Hunter Feduccia, followed by an RBI single from Yandy Díaz.
Game Statistics and Context
Below is a breakdown of the key decision-makers and scoring plays from the matchup:
- Winning Pitcher: Garrett Cleavinger (3-3)
- Losing Pitcher: Ben Peoples (0-1)
- Save: Bryan Baker (30)
- Key Home Runs: Cedric Mullins (13th, 8th inning); Jonny DeLuca (6th inning)
- Team Records: Tampa Bay Rays improve to 64-44 (.583)
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