Jeff Banister shared hugs, handshakes and laughs with Pittsburgh’s Clint Hurdle and his players and coaches before the Texas manager’s first game against the organization he was part of for his first 29 years in pro baseball.
Advertisement
The Japanese right-hander allowed three singles with a walk in his return from last year’s Tommy John surgery, ending Pittsburgh’s five-game winning streak.
With Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jonathon Niese throwing well lately, people wondered whether his good form could continue at the Texas Rangers’ hitter-friendly Globe Life Park. Pittsburgh, which ended April with six straight victories, used a 14-hit attack that featured four home runs to roll to a 9-1 triumph over Texas in Monday’s series opener.Starling Marte belted one of the shots and finished 3-for-4 to give him at least one hit in eight of his last nine contests. The Rangers have scored 21 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in five of their last 10 games.
Mitch Moreland snapped a 1-for-27 skid with a solo home run in the fourth. “Today especially, I really focused on my hitting so I thought that helped a lot”.
“Physically I felt I could go more innings, but mentally I was like ‘I’m done here, ‘” Darvish said through an interpreter. Darvish missed the end of the 2014 season with right elbow inflammation and had more issues while making just one spring appearance past year before undergoing elbow surgery. The Pirates didn’t get another hit until Francisco Cervelli’s sinking liner in front of rightfielder Nomar Mazara in the fifth inning.
Darvish has faced the Pirates (28-19) once, holding them to a run over seven innings in a 1-0 loss September 9, 2013. As usual, Darvish sprinkled in other breaking pitches as well, some as slow as 70 miles per hour.
“It’s a game, ” Banister said after the loss, his mood not quite as jolly as during batting practice about five hours earlier.
Pittsburgh Pirates David Freese watches his solo home run sail away during the third inning of a bas …
The Rangers came roaring back in the fourth, led off by Fielder’ home run over the right field wall that cut the score to 2-1. “When they’re right, they can carry the whole team”, Beltre said.
Joey Gallo, who had just one at-bat in his five-day stint, was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to make room on the roster for Darvish. Jared Hoying had his first career hit on a fourth-inning single.
Advertisement
After a dismal outing against the MLB-leading Chicago Cubs in which he gave up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings May 13, Liriano (4-3, 4.30 ERA) regrouped at home. He threw six shutout innings in a 4-1 win over the Angels in his last start. Jurickson Profar, in the second game of Rougned Odor’s seven-game suspension as Odor’s replacement in the leadoff spot and at second base, had his first career triple in the seventh. Locke has won three of last four decisions and is 9-5 with a 3.31 ERA in 25 starts against NL East teams.
