A potential glimpse of the future captured as Texas Rangers drill Los Angeles Angels
Snap a shot of that Texas Rangers victory Sunday and stash it away for a year or two.
In theory, the things that allowed them to beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-2 will lead to many games in future seasons.
Joey Gallo launched a two-run homer in the first inning.
Anderson Tejeda hit a 451-foot homer.
Sam Huff launched the first home run of his career.
Kyle Cody allowed one run in the longest outing of his career.
“We used a lot of guys today that are going to be a part of this thing,” manager Chris Woodward said.
“I told a lot of our staff and some of our players, these guys have been working so hard and when it doesn’t show up in the win loss column, it can be a little bit frustrating at times. And when we lose games like we did last night, it’s heartbreaking because you want the baseball gods to kind of throw them a bone to say, hey you put enough time and you put your work and you’re doing everything that you’re supposed to do to be successful.”
Gallo’s homer was his team-high 10th of the season, and Tejeda’s was the third of his career as the Rangers led 3-0 in the second inning for a second consecutive game. Rougned Odor collected an RBI double in the third, and Huff went deep in the fourth.
Cody, meanwhile, was cruising toward the first win of his career. The Angels got him for a run in the second, but Cody retired the final 11 batters he faced.
He allowed only three hits, didn’t issue a walk for the first time in four starts, and struck out a career-high five. Cody needed only 61 pitches to record 15 outs.
“Shoot, I probably could have kept him in there a few more innings,” Woodward said. “But great outing by him. Complete control.”
Odor and Derek Dietrich added solo homers in the eighth to counter a sixth-inning run the Angels scored against rookie left-hander John King. Odor has connected for five home runs since being told earlier this month that he needed to earn his playing time.
His job still isn’t secure for 2021, and Tejeda and Huff are likely headed to the minor leagues to begin next season. Cody appears to be a front-runner for a rotation spot, even though his innings will be limited.
Gallo’s name surfaced ahead of the trade deadline. After it passed, he said he is open to signing a long-term extension to stay with the team that drafted him in 2012.
This story was originally published September 20, 2020 at 6:14 PM.
