The Texas Rangers scored eight runs while the Philadelphia Phillies scored three runs.
The two most notable offseason acquisitions for the Rangers this winter were Brandon Nimmo when he was acquired from the New York Mets for Marcus Semien back in November, and MacKenzie Gore when the Rangers unloaded the farm on the Washington Nationals for the lefty back in late January.
The Rangers had a third move up their sleeves that made headlines earlier this month when they brought in former National League MVP Andrew McCutchen to fight for a platoon DH job with spring training already fully underway. McCutchen won the job and now the trio of new blood have combined to lead the Rangers to a win today to claim the first series of the season from Philadelphia.
Gore was as advertised as a guy who can strike out hitters with the best of ’em but one prone to walks and innings that can sometimes get away from him. Luckily for Gore, by the time he had a trouble inning in the bottom of the sixth, the Rangers were already up 5-0 and he was nearing the end of his day anyway.
Before that, Gore tossed five scoreless innings and looked the part of a pitcher with limitless potential. Overall, the lefty went 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on two hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.
Assisting Gore to a win in his first start with Texas was Nimmo, who smacked a third inning two-run shot off of Philly’s Jesus Luzardo in a lefty-on-lefty matchup for his first dong of the year. That gave the Rangers an early lead that they would add to when McCutchen followed suit with a three-run shot — also his first of the year — an inning later on a wall-scraper that just stayed fair.
Though the Phillies would eventually get a couple of runs in the sixth to end Gore’s day, Texas tamped down any hopes of a comeback rally and then padded their lead with a run of their own in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
In the end, despite the disappointment on Opening Day, the Rangers went to Philadelphia and came away with a series victory to begin the year against one of the NL’s favorites. Thanks to the new guys on Sunday, the Rangers were winners.
Player of the Game: McCutchen continues to look like a shrewd mid-spring signing as he made a big impact in both wins to claim the series. Today, McCutchen had two extra base hits, drove in three, and scored two runs while his three-run home run proved to be the big “ok, the Rangers are going to win this one” hit of the afternoon.
The new (old?) fella also has a sense of humor:
Up Next: The early east coast road trip continues for the Rangers with a series against the Orioles beginning tomorrow. RHP Jack Leiter is scheduled to make his season debut for Texas in the opener opposite RHP Chris Bassitt for Baltimore.
The Monday evening first pitch from Oriole Park at Camden Yards is scheduled for 5:35 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
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