Patrick Corbin delivered one of his sharpest outings of the season, tossing eight scoreless innings. At the same time, Corey Seager launched his 20th home run as the Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field.
Corbin (7-9) was in command throughout, allowing only three hits and one walk while striking out eight. The left-hander has dominated the Angels in 2025, improving to 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in four starts against them. The victory marked his first win since July 10, when he beat Los Angeles.
The Rangers’ offense provided early support. In the opening frame, Wyatt Langford drew a leadoff walk against Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi (6-9). Seager followed with his own walk before Adolis García lined a run-scoring double. Josh Jung added an RBI single and Cody Freeman delivered a sacrifice fly to put Texas ahead 3-0 before Kikuchi escaped the inning.
The Rangers kept the pressure on in the second. Jonah Heim worked a leadoff walk and rookie Michael Helman connected for his second home run of the year, a two-run drive that extended the advantage to 5-0. In the fourth, Kyle Higashioka hit a 421-foot solo shot to left-center, further extending Texas’ lead.
Seager, who reached the 20-home run mark for the season, added another run with a solo blast off reliever Sam Bachman in the seventh. Seager became the first Ranger this year to reach that plateau, reinforcing his role as one of the team’s most consistent power hitters.
The Angels’ offense was quiet until the ninth, when they broke through against reliever Danny Coulombe. Zach Neto hit his 23rd homer to put Los Angeles on the board, and Jo Adell followed later with his career-high 30th home run, a two-run shot. Phil Maton recorded the final two outs and preserved the Rangers’ win.
Kikuchi’s struggles continued. He lasted just four innings and gave up six runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out three but saw his ERA rise to 4.73.
The loss was the Angels’ eighth in their last 11 games, continuing a rough stretch that has seen their offense go cold against quality starting pitching. Texas, meanwhile, returned to the .500 mark at 67-67, keeping them within striking distance in the American League wild-card picture.
Corbin’s performance was highlighted by his ability to work efficiently. After allowing a leadoff double to Neto in the first, he stranded him at third and then allowed just one runner into scoring position the rest of the way. The veteran left-hander, who has not missed a scheduled start in nine consecutive seasons, leaned on his fastball-slider mix to keep Angels hitters off balance.
Oddsmakers had the Rangers listed as -135 favorites entering the matchup, with the Angels at +115 underdogs. The over/under was set at 9 runs, a number the clubs pushed late when Los Angeles rallied in the ninth.
The series concludes Wednesday night in Arlington. The Angels will send left-hander Tyler Anderson (2-8, 4.73 ERA) to the mound, while the Rangers have yet to announce a starter.