Jonah Heim and Josh Smith each homered and Jose Urena took a perfect game into the sixth inning as the Texas Rangers salvaged the finale of a three-game series with a 9-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday in Arlington, Texas.
Urena (2-5) had his no-hitter broken up by Justyn-Henry Malloy’s first major league hit, a leadoff homer in the sixth. The home run was the only hit allowed by Urena, who walked one and struck out six over 6 2/3 innings.
Heim and Smith had three hits and two RBIs each for Texas, which outhit the Tigers 12-2 after opening the series by scoring a total of two runs in back-to-back losses. Nathaniel Lowe added two hits, including an RBI single.
Malloy finished with the only two hits for Detroit, whose three-game winning streak ended.
Rangers star shortstop Corey Seager exited with left hamstring tightness after extending his on-base streak to a career-high 28 games with a run-scoring single in the second inning.
Detroit starter Kenta Maeda threw two pitches before departing the game due to right side abdominal discomfort.
Joey Wentz (0-1) replaced Maeda and allowed a run in the second when Travis Jankowski scored from second base on Seager’s single into left field. Seager was then lifted for pinch-runner Ezequiel Duran.
The Rangers added three runs in the third. Smith began the rally with a leadoff homer to right field, his fourth long ball this season.
Mason Englert relieved Wentz with a runner on and two outs and was greeted by Heim’s two-run homer to right field. The 386-foot blast was Heim’s sixth homer this season.
Detroit put its only run on the board in the sixth when Malloy deposited Urena’s 3-1 sinker into the left-center-field seats for his first hit since being recalled from Triple-A Toledo on Monday.
Texas extended its lead with two runs in the sixth against Englert. With runners on the corners, Heim scored when Duran’s liner up the middle was mishandled by second baseman Colt Keith.
Smith followed with an RBI single to center field, scoring Marcus Semien from third.
The Rangers tacked on three runs in the eighth against Andrew Chafin before Tigers manager A.J. Hinch turned to position player Zach McKinstry, who retired the only two batters he faced.
–Field Level Media
