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Associated Press
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Rangers play the Pirates with 1-0 series lead
Texas Rangers (37-39, third in the AL West) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (30-47, fifth in the NL Central) Pittsburgh; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Rangers: Kumar Rocker (2-4, 7.31 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 27 strikeouts); Pirates: Mitch Keller (1-9, 4.08 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 68 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Rangers -111, Pirates -108; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Texas Rangers bring a 1-0 advantage into the next game of the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh has a 19-20 record at home and a 30-47 record overall. The Pirates have a 13-3 record in games when they scored at least five runs. Texas is 37-39 overall and 14-23 in road games. The Rangers are 23-12 in games when they record eight or more hits. Saturday's game is the second time these teams square off this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Oneil Cruz has 10 doubles, a triple and 13 home runs for the Pirates. Andrew McCutchen is 13 for 41 with four doubles and three home runs over the past 10 games. Josh Smith has 11 doubles, a triple and seven home runs for the Rangers. Adolis Garcia is 14 for 39 with six doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 3-7, .196 batting average, 3.98 ERA, outscored by 11 runs Rangers: 6-4, .279 batting average, 3.66 ERA, outscored opponents by 18 runs INJURIES: Pirates: Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Colin Holderman: 15-Day IL (thumb), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tim Mayza: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow) Rangers: Jake Burger: day-to-day (oblique), Tyler Mahle: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Nathan Eovaldi: 15-Day IL (tricep), Joc Pederson: 10-Day IL (hand), Cody Bradford: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jon Gray: 60-Day IL (wrist), Josh Sborz: 60-Day IL (shoulder) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rangers play the Pirates with 1-0 series lead
Texas Rangers (37-39, third in the AL West) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (30-47, fifth in the NL Central) Pittsburgh; Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Rangers: Kumar Rocker (2-4, 7.31 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 27 strikeouts); Pirates: Mitch Keller (1-9, 4.08 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 68 strikeouts) Advertisement BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Rangers -111, Pirates -108; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Texas Rangers bring a 1-0 advantage into the next game of the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh has a 19-20 record at home and a 30-47 record overall. The Pirates have a 13-3 record in games when they scored at least five runs. Texas is 37-39 overall and 14-23 in road games. The Rangers are 23-12 in games when they record eight or more hits. Saturday's game is the second time these teams square off this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Oneil Cruz has 10 doubles, a triple and 13 home runs for the Pirates. Andrew McCutchen is 13 for 41 with four doubles and three home runs over the past 10 games. Advertisement Josh Smith has 11 doubles, a triple and seven home runs for the Rangers. Adolis Garcia is 14 for 39 with six doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 3-7, .196 batting average, 3.98 ERA, outscored by 11 runs Rangers: 6-4, .279 batting average, 3.66 ERA, outscored opponents by 18 runs INJURIES: Pirates: Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Colin Holderman: 15-Day IL (thumb), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tim Mayza: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow) Rangers: Jake Burger: day-to-day (oblique), Tyler Mahle: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Nathan Eovaldi: 15-Day IL (tricep), Joc Pederson: 10-Day IL (hand), Cody Bradford: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jon Gray: 60-Day IL (wrist), Josh Sborz: 60-Day IL (shoulder) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Forbes
a day ago
- Sport
- Forbes
The Texas Rangers Are Approaching An Inflection Point
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kumar Rocker throws during the first inning of a baseball game ... More against the Chicago White Sox, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) What kind of team are the Texas Rangers? Almost halfway through the season, we still don't have an answer. At 36-39, they could still finish anywhere from first to last in the American League West, and no outcome would be too surprising. The club is approaching an inflection point in the 2025 season, not just because they need to go on a run if they want to contend for the playoffs, but because the front office has decide whether they'll be buyers or sellers before the trade deadline. The Rangers have a lot of key players who have been disappointing, inconsistent, or unhealthy for much of the year. They could either stabilize and right the ship, or flatline and sink the season. Rangers Hitters Their best hitters haven't been veterans Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, or Joc Pederson. Seager hasn't found his power stroke, posting a .387 slugging percentage that is 120 points below his career average. He also missed about a month's worth of games with two separate injuries in April and May. His .714 OPS is a little bit higher than the MLB average, but it's the lowest mark of his 11-year career by far. Semien and Pederson have been negatives at the plate. The former is hitting .226/.306/.337 with an 88 OPS+, indicating his offense has been 12% below average, and the latter was hitting .131/.269/.238 before going on the injured list with a fractured hand on May 24. Their best hitter has been the less-heralded Josh Smith, who leads the club with a 132 OPS+ and has started games at every position except catcher and pitcher this year. He was Seager's replacement at shortstop when he was hurt, but he has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury. Wyatt Langford has emerged as a solid hitter with a 118 OPS+, but his former top prospect counterpart Evan Carter has continued to befuddle the organization. He has bounced between the major and minor leagues and dealt with minor ailments, so he has only 80 plate appearances for the Rangers this year, but he's hitting a healthy .254/.338/.465. However, 10 of his 18 hits came over a four-game stretch from June 8 to June 12 in which he went 10-16. Outside of those games, he's only 8-55. Rangers Pitchers Two of the Rangers' best starting pitchers are out of action for the time being. Nathan Eovaldi's 1.56 ERA through 12 starts would be the best in MLB if he had enough innings to qualify, but he's on the shelf with triceps inflammation. He's joined on the IL by Tayler Mahle, who has a sore shoulder and owns a 2.34 ERA despite a low 18.2% strikeout rate. Two older hurlers have been better than expected for Texas. Jacob deGrom hasn't thrown more than 92 innings in a season since 2019, but the 37-year-old has a 2.19 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and hasn't missed a start. Patrick Corbin had ERAs ranging from 5.20 to 6.31 over this last four years with the Washington Nationals, but it's down to 3.91 this season. No one knows what to make of their two highly-regarded young arms. Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker were teammates at Vanderbilt who were both drafted in the top ten overall. Leiter has been reliable, if unexceptional. He's maintaining a 4.40 ERA and a 4.91 FIP. His 97.7 mph fastball isn't blowing hitters away, and he's fanning only 18.9% of them. Rocker was a disaster through his first six starts, posting an 8.87 ERA and getting demoted twice, but he threw five shutout innings in his most recent outing. Right now, the Rangers don't have a fifth starter in their rotation. They'll have to make a decision about what to do in the next few days, which serves as a metaphor for their entire season. They need their pitching to get and stay healthy, their big bats to produce more offense, and their youngsters like Carter and Rocker to do more than tantalize their potential.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker drinks bizarre shot mid-game: 'Yuck'
Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker toughed through a start against the Chicago White Sox by downing five pickle juice shots to help with a stomach cramp. Rocker had three separate mound visits during the fifth inning, the first being from the team's coaching and training staff, with a shot of pickle juice in hand. Consuming pickle juice is one way of reliving cramps, with the Rangers righty looking to have cramps near the end of his Sunday start. An additional shot of pickle juice was downed by the former Vanderbilt standout on two later occasions during the inning. It was later revealed the three on-camera shots occurred after taking two bottles of pickle juice before his pain continued. After the lengthy period of feeling unwell, Rocker stayed in the game and did not allow a run in five innings of work. Yet, Rocker's decision to have the pickle juice was the lasting thought from some fans. 'Yuck lol,' one said on X. 'Pretty good effort by Kumar Rocker to get out of that pickle,' another person said of his fifth-inning pitching jam. Rocker toughing it out on the mound in one of the most important starts of his career, as he was sent down to the minor leagues last week due to inconsistent play with the Rangers. Now with his toughness, and Texas winning five of its last six, things are looking up for a team in the thick of the AL West and Wild Card races. The Rangers will hope Rockers' form will continue against teams that are better than the White Sox, who have seven wins on the road this season.
National Post
6 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Texas Rangers rookie Kumar Rocker chugs pickle juice and gets himself out of a pickle
ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers rookie Kumar Rocker kept a scoreless start intact by working through an eventful fifth inning that included downing three small bottles of pickle juice, the last of which resulted in a mound visit charged to a ball boy. Article content The 25-year-old right-hander had already chugged two bottles of the dehydration-fighting juice in the dugout as he dealt with cramping in his legs before getting the victory in a 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Article content 'I think he broke the record on bottles of pickle juice he drank today,' Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. Article content After Rocker struck out Michael A. Taylor for the first out of the fifth, the trainer visited the mound along with Bochy and pitching coach Mike Maddux. Article content During the roughly five minutes the staff and the infielders were at the mound, first baseman Jake Burger went to the dugout, grabbed two small bottles of pickle juice and jogged back to the mound. Article content Rocker quickly downed both bottles, then stretched his legs and threw several warmup pitches, with another break in between for another chat with the trainer. Article content Rocker stayed in the game and gave up a single to Josh Rojas. With Mike Tauchman at the plate, a ball boy jogged to the mound with a third bottle of pickle juice, which Rocker promptly drank and gave back to him. Article content Shot of pickle juice anyone? 🤨 #AllForTX — Victory+ (@victoryplustv) June 15, 2025 Article content Home plate umpire Marvin Hudson, the crew chief, huddled with the other three umpires, and they ruled the Rangers should be charged with a mound visit for the ball boy's trip. Article content 'When he came out there, I said, 'Oh no,'' Rocker said. 'That was a good one. That was a different one.' Article content Rocker retired Tauchman on a grounder to Burger, and after another trip to the mound from the trainer, Rocker got out of the inning with a groundout from Chase Meidroth. Article content Getting through the fifth gave Rocker (2-4) a shot at being the winning pitcher. The Rangers led 2-0 when Rocker was replaced by Jacob Webb to start the sixth. Article content 'I drank everything today,' Rocker said with a smile and a chuckle after allowing four singles and a walk with six strikeouts. Article content Webb gave up a solo homer to Miguel Vargas, but the right-hander and two more Texas relievers held the White Sox scoreless over the final 3 2/3 innings. Luke Jackson finished for his ninth save. Article content Rocker was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock and started in place of right-hander Tyler Mahle on the same the day that Mahle was placed on the injured list with right shoulder fatigue. Article content The former Vanderbilt star had been sent to the minors for development after rough starts on either side of a rehab stint. Rocker spent time on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement. Article content Mahle's injury forced Rocker back to the big leagues earlier than planned, and he probably earned another start with his outing _ as long as he can keep himself hydrated. Article content 'It's a great opportunity,' Rocker said. 'To help these guys, you've got to be a winning player. And just one day at a time, that's all you can do. It's been a fun week.'
