Advertisement

sportsRangers

Despite loss, Texas Rangers’ Wyatt Langford proves he can do it all vs. Padres

Max Scherzer, in his third start off the injured list, also threw a season-high 6 and 1/3 innings and 90 pitches.

ARLINGTON — It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a Florida man.

It’s also a third straight series loss for the Texas Rangers, just don’t blame the Gator.

Wyatt Langford — the reigning American League Rookie of the Month — did all he could with his bat and glove in the 3-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on Thursday at Globe Life Field. Seriously: he robbed a would-be home run, threw a runner out at the plate and drove in Texas’ only run. If the game had developed into a blowout, maybe he could’ve gotten a chance to pitch.

Rangers

Be the smartest Rangers fan. Get the latest news.

Or with:

“He’s got good speed, good arm, he’s accurate,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s only gotten better, too. He was doing a lot of DHing there earlier, but now that he’s getting every day duty in left field, I think he’s shown what he can do defensively.”

Like, in the second inning, when he leapt at the left field wall to corral a would-be two-run home run from San Diego’s Ha-Seong Kim to end the inning and keep the game scoreless. Kim drilled a Max Scherzer fastball 370 feet that Langford pulled back.

Advertisement

“He hit it pretty high, that corner is pretty deep, it’s a little tricky,” said Langford, who reached base twice and drove in the Rangers lone run with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning. “I just got back in there in time to get a good jump on it. … I’m not sure if it was [out], but I knew it was close.”

Or, in the fourth inning, when the 22-year-old fielded a David Peralta single in left field and made a 91.2 mph throw to home plate where catcher Andrew Knizner tagged Donovan Solano out to end the inning and hold San Diego to a one-run lead.

Advertisement

“I think that pumps everybody up,” Scherzer said. “You want to continue to make plays.”

Scherzer — in his third start off the injured list — threw a season-high 6 and 1/3 innings and 90 pitches. He was tagged for three earned runs; the first on a run-scoring double from Solano in the fourth and the second on a solo home run from Jurickson Profar in the sixth. In the seventh, Scherzer allowed a leadoff double to Solano and was replaced by José Ureña, who allowed the base runner to score on a sacrifice fly from Kim.

The 39-year-old Scherzer missed the first two and a half months of the season after offseason back surgery (and, eventually, a nerve issue that ran up his right arm) but has a 2.70 ERA through his first three major league starts this year.

“Physically, I’m definitely better,” Scherzer said. “Arm felt better, stronger, got to 90 pitches, felt strong there and even got into the seventh and felt strong in the seventh. From a physical standpoint, I’m really doing well.”

Related Stories
View More

Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter.