Corey Seager had three hits and two RBI and Jake Burger added three hits as the host Texas Rangers defeated the suddenly swooning Los Angeles Angels 3-1 on Wednesday night in Arlington, Texas.
Left-hander Patrick Corbin, a two-time All-Star and a Cy Young Award finalist, pitched 5 1/3 innings to get the win in his second start with the Rangers. Corbin (1-0) allowed one run on five hits while walking one and striking out six before turning over the game to the Texas bullpen.
Luke Jackson got the final three outs to earn his sixth save of the season.
The Rangers have won the first two of the three-game series and have captured eight straight home contests after losing their season opener. Texas has outscored the opposition 33-16 in that stretch.
Adolis Garcia added two hits in the Rangers’ 11-hit attack.
Right-hander Jose Soriano (2-2) took the loss for the Angels, giving up three runs on 10 hits while walking two and striking out two in 5 2/3 innings. Los Angeles dropped its third straight game and second consecutive series after winning its first four series of the season.
The Angels had just six hits by six different players and committed two errors after three in a 4-0 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday.
Texas broke on top for the second straight night, getting three runs in the bottom of the second inning. A one-out RBI single by Burger drove home Dustin Harris, who reached on a ground-rule double.
Two walks and one out later, Seager hit a flare to left-center field that dropped in for a single, plated Burger and Leody Taveras and made it 3-0.
Los Angeles pared its deficit to 3-1 in the sixth as a one-out single to deep shortstop by Luis Rengifo was enough to allow Kevin Newman to scamper home. That hit chased Corbin, with reliever Shawn Armstrong working his way out of the jam by coaxing a flyout to deep center by Mike Trout and striking out Jorge Soler.
The Rangers’ bullpen was on point, and Armstrong, Jacob Webb and Jackson combined to allow just one hit over the final 3 2/3 innings.