Meanwhile, the Tigers continue their slide and now sit five games out of first in the AL Central. but are still just 1 1/2 games behind Boston for the second wild card.
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Judging by the way teammates speak about them and greet them in the dugout in games, both Beltran and Lucroy seem to have made the transition into the new clubhouse quickly. The 18 from ’13 were his career high, but the two shots on Friday gave him 19 in 2016. And Carlos Beltran has been equally impressive, hitting.310 since the Rangers landed the former Yankees outfielder.
The Rangers had scored seven runs combined while Yu Darvish was in the game in Darvish’s previous six starts.
Sam Dyson pitched a scoreless ninth for his 26th save in 29 opportunities. Darvish allowed one run through six innings before an error opened the door for the Tigers in the seventh. Tyler Collins added a two-run homer off reliever Tony Barnette later in the inning, but the Tigers didn’t threaten much after that. The 25-year-old native of Washington has won his last two starts despite allowing three runs over five frames in each outing.
Texas leads the major leagues with 89 home runs since June 9. Mitch Moreland followed with a solo homer to right.
Beltre had two singles and a double. With two outs, Lucroy hit his first homer over the left-center field bullpen for a 4-0 lead.
Notable: Lucroy hit two homers in a game for the eighth time in his career and second time with the Rangers.
Tigers: SS Jose Iglesias strained his left hamstring Wednesday at Seattle and was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday. RHP Jordan Zimmermann (right neck strain) was cleared to play catch. Texas manager Jeff Banister said: “We’re hoping that he’s an option for us this season”.
Up Next: The second game of this series pits Cole Hamels against Detroit’s left-hander Matt Boyd with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm CT.
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The under is 9-1-2 in Texas last 12 overall and is 9-1-2 in their last 12 on grass while the Rangers are 20-7 in their last 27 Saturday games.
