When the Texas Rangers take on the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday in an attempt to win two straight games, they will need greater performance from their designated hitters and outfield. In the first game of the series, the Rangers came back to win 4-2. In the eighth inning, Corey Seager hit a three-run home run to give Oakland the lead off setup man Lucas Erceg. Only a few hours had passed when Texas found out that left fielder/DH Wyatt Langford would be placed on the injured list due to a strained right hamstring. It happened on Saturday night against the Kansas City Royals. After being promoted from Triple-A Round Rock, infielder Jonathan Ornelas took Langford’s spot on the roster. With Langford out of the lineup for the last two days, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy changed the starting order. On Sunday, the Mariners defeated Kansas City 3-2 in 10 innings, with Evan Carter playing left field and Kyle Seager as the designated hitter. Jonah Heim was on the right, and Ezequiel Duran was on the left on Monday. Together, the four players were 2 for 14. “Every team experiences a healthy season,” said Travis Jankowski, an outfielder for Texas. We’re going to be the group that rises next. We’re going to accomplish it this year as well as last year.” Bochy stated he was leaning towards starting right-hander Jose Urena (0-2, 4.35 ERA) on Tuesday while the Rangers wait for Nathan Eovaldi to return from a groyne ailment. It would be the 32-year-old veteran’s first start of the year. Urena last pitched in a Friday game against the Royals, giving up two runs in two-thirds of an inning on two hits and one walk. On April 11, he pitched the last two innings of a 1-0 loss at home against the A’s, giving up one hit and no runs. Urena has faced Oakland five times in his career, going 2-1 with a 4.91 ERA in three starts. After losing a late lead in the first game of the series, the A’s are hoping to recover. Mark Kotsay, the Oakland manager, gave Seager full credit for his game-winning hit. Kotsay stated, “That’s why he makes $400 million.” “Erceg has a minor glitch. He’s had nothing but success this season, so we have nothing but faith in him. We’ll move on from this game and see that a very good guy hit a solid 3-2 changeup, which was a really good pitch.” Tuesday’s opponent for the A’s, who are looking to snap a six-game winning streak and avoid a third straight loss, is Ross Stripling (1-5, 4.24). The 34-year-old right-hander defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 at home on Wednesday, snapping a personal 10-decision losing run that dates back to the beginning of the 2023 season. On Wednesday, he pitched six scoreless innings. On April 10, Stripling lost 6-2 to Texas after giving up six runs on eleven hits and three walks in six innings. In his six career appearances against the Rangers, including three starts, he is 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA.
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