Josh Smith’s pinch-hit double scored the go-ahead run in the ninth inning and the visiting Texas Rangers edged the Detroit Tigers 5-4 on Wednesday afternoon.
Smith brought home Ezequiel Duran, who reached on an infield single and advanced to second on an error — one of three committed by the Tigers.
Adolis Garcia and Jonah Heim drove in two runs apiece for Texas. Kirby Yates (2-0) pitched the last 1 1/3 innings to get the win. Starter Dane Dunning lasted five-plus innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits and four walks. He struck out five.
Kerry Carpenter and Parker Meadows homered for Detroit. Shelby Miller (3-1) took the loss in relief after allowing one run on two hits in the ninth. Starter Tarik Skubal gave up four runs, two earned, five hits and one walk in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six.
Skubal cost himself a run in the opening inning. He made a throwing error that allowed Marcus Semien to reach base. Corey Seager then singled and Wyatt Langford walked, loading the bases. Garcia hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Semien.
Carpenter’s homer tied the score in the bottom of the second when he deposited a 2-2 fastball over the right-field wall.
The Rangers threatened in the sixth when Semien reached on another error, this time by second baseman Colt Keith. Seager reached on a single to left. After Langford lined out, Garcia blasted a Skubal changeup off the center-field wall for a double that drove in Semien and moved Seager to third.
Heim then slapped on a 0-2 offering to center, scoring both runners to make it 4-1.
The Rangers gave back a run in the bottom of the inning thanks to an error.
Spencer Torkelson led off the bottom of the sixth with a double, ending Dunning’s afternoon. Jacob Latz retired the next two batters before Keith hit a routine grounder. A throwing error by shortstop Seager allowed Keith to reach base and Torkelson to score.
Meadows led off the seventh with his first homer of the season, trimming the Tigers’ deficit to 4-3. He hit a 399-foot blast to right-center off Austin Pruitt.
The Tigers scored a run off David Robertson in the eighth to tie the score. Matt Vierling reached on a one-out single, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Javier Baez’s single.
–Field Level Media
