Ezequiel Durán and Elias Díaz hit solo home runs while Cal Quantrill delivered six scoreless innings as the Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 on Sunday.
Texas built a five-run advantage before the Angels rallied for three runs in the eighth inning. The Rangers held on to move into a tie with the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West. Both clubs finished the day at 65-66.
Quantrill continued his strong stretch on the mound, scattering six hits without issuing a walk. The right-hander struck out six and extended his scoreless streak to 15 innings.
Durán Gives Rangers Early Lead
Texas opened the scoring behind Durán’s power.
Durán drove a pitch into the left-center-field seats for his 14th home run of the season, giving the Rangers a 1-0 advantage.
The Rangers continued adding to their lead against Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi.
Cody Freeman contributed an RBI triple, his first triple of the season, as Texas steadily created separation.
Díaz later delivered another home run in the fifth inning. His solo shot was his sixth homer of the year and extended the Rangers’ advantage to 5-0.
That five-run cushion proved important when Los Angeles finally broke through against the Texas bullpen late in the game.
Quantrill Keeps Angels Scoreless
Quantrill prevented the Angels from producing a run through six innings.
Los Angeles collected six hits against him but could not turn those baserunners into scoring opportunities. Quantrill did not issue a walk and struck out six while consistently escaping trouble.
He improved to 6-4 with the win.
The performance also continued an impressive stretch for the Texas right-hander. Quantrill has now worked at least five innings while allowing one run or fewer in five consecutive starts.
His scoreless streak reached 15 innings by the end of Sunday’s outing.
The Angels had opportunities to generate offense during Quantrill’s six innings, but their inability to capitalize allowed Texas to maintain its comfortable advantage.
Kikuchi Allows Five Runs
Kikuchi struggled to contain the Rangers during his five innings.
The Los Angeles left-hander surrendered all five Texas runs on seven hits. He struck out four and fell to 0-4.
Durán’s early homer immediately put Kikuchi behind, and the Rangers continued to add runs before Díaz completed their scoring with his fifth-inning homer.
Texas did not score again after building its 5-0 advantage, but Quantrill and the bullpen had enough support to protect the lead.
Los Angeles remained scoreless through seven innings before finally creating a serious threat in the eighth.
Neto Sparks Late Angels Rally
Zach Neto started the Angels’ comeback attempt with a home run in the eighth inning.
The homer gave Los Angeles its first run of the afternoon and provided momentum for the rest of the lineup.
Josh Lowe followed later in the inning with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit further. Gustavo Campero then added an RBI single to make it 5-3.
The three-run inning suddenly brought the Angels back within striking distance after they had spent most of the game trailing comfortably.
However, Los Angeles could not complete the comeback.
The Rangers stopped the rally before the Angels could move any closer and carried their two-run advantage into the ninth.
Latz Closes Out Rangers Win
Texas turned to Jacob Latz for the final inning.
Latz allowed one hit but kept Los Angeles off the scoreboard, protecting the 5-3 lead and earning his 26th save of the season.
The Angels’ eighth-inning rally accounted for all of their scoring. Despite collecting hits against Quantrill earlier in the afternoon, they could not break through until the Texas starter had left the game.
That allowed the Rangers to capitalize on their early offense.
Durán and Díaz supplied the power, while Freeman’s RBI triple contributed to the five-run cushion. Quantrill then gave Texas six scoreless innings before the bullpen finished the job.
Rangers Move Into Tie Atop AL West
The win carried additional importance for Texas in the divisional race.
The Rangers improved to 65-66 and moved into a tie with Houston for first place in the AL West.
Quantrill’s recent form has helped Texas remain in the race. His latest outing gave the Rangers another strong start while allowing the offense time to establish a significant lead.
Los Angeles showed some life late but could not overcome its early deficit.
Neto’s homer, Lowe’s sacrifice fly and Campero’s RBI single made the eighth inning competitive, but the Angels produced nothing further in the ninth.
The result sent Los Angeles home with a loss before beginning another series at Angel Stadium.
Up Next
The Angels return to Anaheim to open a home series against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday.
Right-hander George Klassen is scheduled to start for Los Angeles. He enters the matchup with a 2-1 record and a 3.74 ERA. Cleveland had not announced its starter.
Texas travels to Chicago to begin a series against the White Sox on Monday. The Rangers had not announced a starter for the series opener.
