Tyler Mahle continued his early-season resurgence with a dominant outing Tuesday night, striking out nine over six scoreless innings as the Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 4-0 at Globe Life Field. The win ended a three-game skid for the defending World Series champions and improved their home record to 7-1.
Mahle (3-0) allowed three hits and two walks in a 93-pitch performance, lowering his ERA to 0.92 through four starts this season. The right-hander, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023, showed command and velocity as he silenced the Angels’ offense, which was held scoreless for the first time this year.
The Rangers’ bullpen took over from there, with four relievers combining to retire the final nine batters. The combined effort marked Texas’s third shutout victory of the season and further solidified Mahle’s status as a key contributor in the rotation.
Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi (0-3) matched Mahle through five innings before the Rangers broke through in the sixth. Kikuchi also allowed just three hits over six innings and struck out six while walking two, but a defensive miscue helped Texas take the lead.
Leody Taveras began the bottom of the sixth with a bunt single and advanced to second on a stolen base. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud’s throw sailed wide, allowing Taveras to reach third. Marcus Semien capitalized with a sacrifice fly to deep left, where Taylor Ward made the catch near the wall but could not prevent the run from scoring.
Texas added insurance in the seventh when Jonah Heim and Kyle Higashioka hit back-to-back doubles, extending the lead to 2-0. In the eighth inning, Josh Jung singled home another run, and a fourth came in on a fielding error, sealing the win for the Rangers.
Los Angeles had its best scoring opportunity in the fourth inning when it put runners on the corners with one out. However, to end the threat, Mahle struck out d’Arnaud and Nolan Schanuel. That missed opportunity loomed large as the Angels managed only one baserunner over the final five innings.
The win lifted Texas back over the .500 mark as they rebounded from a 1-5 road trip. With improved starting pitching and timely offense, the Rangers aim to regain consistency in the coming weeks.
The Angels will look to even the series Wednesday night with right-hander José Soriano (2-1, 2.70 ERA) scheduled to start. The Rangers will counter with left-hander Patrick Corbin (0-0, 6.75 ERA), who will make his second start after joining the team late in spring training.
According to pregame betting odds, the Rangers entered the game as slight favorites, listed around -125 on the moneyline, while the Angels were at +110. The over/under for total runs was set at 8.5, with the under comfortably hitting in the low-scoring contest.