Adolis García, Joc Pederson, and Kyle Higashioka each delivered three-run home runs, Corey Seager added his 21st of the season, and the Texas Rangers overpowered the Los Angeles Angels 20-3 on Wednesday night at Globe Life Field.
The Rangers’ offense erupted for its highest run total in 14 years, fueled by 17 hits and 10 walks. It was their largest scoring output since a 20-6 win over the Minnesota Twins in 2011. García, Pederson, and Higashioka each drove in five runs, and Wyatt Langford reached base in all five of his plate appearances, scoring four runs before being lifted for a pinch-runner in the seventh.
The Angels struck first when Nolan Schanuel scored on a sacrifice fly in the opening inning, but the lead was short-lived. García turned on a fastball from starter Jack Kochanowicz and sent it into the left-field seats for his 17th home run, giving Texas a 3-1 advantage. Pederson followed with his seventh homer in the second, a towering shot that extended the lead to 7-1. Seager added a two-run drive in the fourth to chase Kochanowicz from the game.
Kochanowicz (3-11), called up from Triple-A Salt Lake before the game, was tagged for 11 runs — 10 of them earned — over 3 1/3 innings, both career highs. His ERA rose to 6.81 at the 23rd start of the season. The Angels’ bullpen did little to stop the bleeding, with position player Oswald Peraza pressed into pitching duties in the seventh. Peraza threw 21 pitches between 30 and 40 mph, surrendering eight runs in just one-third of an inning, capped by Higashioka’s three-run homer that pushed the score to 20-3.
The Rangers used a bullpen game after right-hander Nathan Eovaldi was placed on the injured list Tuesday with a rotator cuff strain that will likely end his season. Jacob Latz started and worked 2 1/3 innings before Jacob Webb (5-4) provided 1 2/3 scoreless frames to earn the win.
Texas capitalized on nearly every scoring opportunity, going 8-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Along with the four homers, they piled on with timely singles and patient at-bats, leading to their double-digit scoring output.
For the Angels, the night highlighted ongoing struggles on both sides of the ball. Their pitching staff has been stretched thin, and their offense managed only five hits, with just one after the fifth inning. The loss dropped them further back in the American League standings as the season enters its final stretch.
Oddsmakers had Texas as a -190 favorite entering the matchup, with Los Angeles listed at +160. The over/under closed at 9.5 runs, a total the Rangers nearly doubled by themselves in another high-scoring showing against a division opponent.
Both clubs will have Thursday off before beginning new series. The Angels will travel to Houston, where left-hander Tyler Anderson (2-8, 4.73 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday in the opener of a four-game set against the Astros. The Rangers will send rookie right-hander Jack Leiter (8-7, 3.81 ERA) to the mound Friday to begin a three-game road series against the Oakland Athletics in Sacramento.