The Texas Rangers added another notch in the win column for their Cactus League campaign on Saturday when they took down the Cincinnati Reds 8-7.
Saturday's lineup looked very much like Opening Day aside from Cole Ragans getting the start instead of ace Jacob deGrom.
Ragans pitched 3 2/3 innings as he begins to ramp up his pitch count in preparation for the 2023 MLB season. The lefty has been in discussions of potentially starting the season in the rotation as the sixth starter if the Rangers decide to go that route.
Saturday was a particularly promising performance even in the face of two earned runs and one home run allowed. Ragans stuff is so pure that his strikeout rates have always been high. That was the case on Saturday when he compiled five strikeouts against the Reds.
The command was also encouraging as he issued just one free pas on the afternoon.
Offensively, Texas once again came out swinging as another hit parade ensued. The Rangers accumulated 13 total hits on the afternoon with most of their damage coming against Reds starter Chase Anderson.
All of Texas' big names got in on the action as Corey Seager, Robbie Grossman and Adolis García all turned in multi-hit games. The latter two also each recorded a home run.
Marcus Semien, Josh Jung, Mitch Garver and Nathaniel Lowe also recorded a hit against Cincinnati.
It's a good sign to see such offense as the Rangers set a franchise record in 2022 with a 15-35 record in one-run games. Texas aims to avoid the same scenario in 2023 and the offense turning a corner would go a long way in ensuring that goal is met.
All of the Texas big names are seeing the ball well this spring, which bodes well for the regular season. Seager appears to be much more comfortable in a Rangers uniform this spring, Semien seems to have more confidence and Lowe is making the case that his performance in 2022 was not an anomaly.
The Rangers travel to face the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Andrew Heaney will take the mound in his third start of the spring.
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