Rangers reaction sings the praises of Elvis Andrus

The Rangers have found a bunch of different ways to lose games in 2017, so it’s about time they started winning some in the same fashion.

Tuesday’s seven-run rally in the seventh and eighth innings quickly turned what had been a pretty dismal night into one of the more exhilarating wins of the year.

Elvis Andrus, who had a career-high five RBIs (all of which came during the rally), tied the game in the seventh and iced the game in the eighth. His two-out, three-run homer in the seventh tied it at 5-5 and his two-run single in the eighth stretched the lead to four.

“It was a good one, especially the way things were going through the middle innings,” Andrus said. “Everybody thought we were out of it, but that was not the case. We were able to come back, knowing and believing that we can turn the game around at any point.”

Take a bow, Elvis!

Here’s the Rangers reaction after a 9-5 win over the Rays:

1. Elvis, the (home run) king — Andrus hit his seventh homer of the season, one shy of tying his career-high of eight, which he did last season. Reminder: It’s not even June yet.

“I was thinking about putting a good swing on it,” Andrus said of the 417-foot homer. “I noticed (Danny Farquhar) was feeling good about his fastball. I was really happy that I was able to put a good swing on it.”

More important than the homers, however, has been Andrus’ consistent production at the plate. He has a team-high 19 multi-hit game and leads the team with four three-hit games. He improved his team-high batting average to .288 and has hit safely in a season-high six consecutive games.

“Elvis has been a big hitter for us pretty much all year long, one of the more consistent hitters,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “He’s one of those emotional leaders on the field for us. This is a guy where there’s no quit, no give in. Other players feed off of that. Huge night, not only at the plate but in the dugout as well.”

2. Gee, what a debut! — Dillon Gee, who grew up in Cleburne, played at UT Arlington and currently lives in Aledo, dreamed of playing for his hometown Rangers as a kid. He finally saw that dream become a reality Tuesday night and he came up big in the moment.

“I felt like it was major league debut all over again,” said Gee, who pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief after Nick Martinez left trailing 5-2 in the fifth. “I’ve been dreaming of pitching here for a long time. My job was to keep it close and give them a chance to comeback and win and they did.”

3. Hoying a hero — Jared Hoying came off the bench for defensive purposes in center field in the top of the eighth but came up huge on offense. He gave the Rangers a 6-5 lead with a line drive off the top of the right-field wall that missed being a grand slam by a foot.

“I thought I had it. I really did,” Hoying said with a big smile. “At the end I saw [Steven] Souza kind of pull up, it didn’t quite make it.”

Hoying said Andrus’ game-tying homer in the seventh changed the complexion of the night.

“We were down three runs, but we were fighting, having good at-bats,” he said. “That was some major momentum there. In that inning we were just hoping to get one run and we ended up getting three.”

4. Leclerc’s return — The Rangers’ bullpen could use another arm (or four), so it’s good news that right-hander Jose Leclerc struck out three in a perfect inning for Double A Frisco Tuesday night. Leclerc has allowed one infield single in two rehab innings and likely to rejoin the Rangers’ bullpen on Friday. He has thrown 30 pitches, including 20 strikes in his two relief outings. He could get another inning on Wednesday to see how he handles consecutive nights of work. The Rangers’ bullpen, of course, needs all the help it can get.

5. Trout out — The best player in baseball, Angels center fielder Mike Trout, will be out for the next two months after undergoing thumb surgery. The Rangers next play the Angels in a series at Globe Life Park right before the All-Star Break. Trout isn’t expected to return until after the break. Although it might be good for the Rangers to miss Trout for three games, it’s not good for the game, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “I like to have all our best players on the field whether they’re on their side or our side. It’s best for the game, it’s best for our fans,” he said. “When you suit up to compete you don’t always get to choose who you compete against but you hope to compete against the best every time you walk out there.”

This story was originally published May 30, 2017 at 11:35 PM with the headline "Rangers reaction sings the praises of Elvis Andrus."