​ARLINGTON, TX — The Texas Rangers overwhelmed Detroit Tigers starter Framber Valdez and then continued the assault on the Tigers’ bullpen, skating to a 10-4 win at Globe Life Field on Thursday, July 2. Valdez was knocked around for five runs in five innings, and the overcoming defense behind him prevented it from getting even worse. Meanwhile, Texas right-hander Nathan Eovaldi appeared poised for a no-hitter, retiring the first nine Tigers and permitting a hit only in the fifth before the rally began.
The Tigers’ new rallying cry seemed to energize them as Colt Keith, who ended Eovaldi’s no-hit bid with a two-out homer on an 0-2 cutter, and Hao-Yu Lee added a long ball to erase the early advantage. Detroit (37-50) manufactured several late threats against Texas’ bullpen but failed to come through with the big hit, leaving five runners stranded in the sixth and seventh innings.
Offensively for Detroit, Eovaldi entered with three straight wins and extended that to four, dominating the early sequence with seven of the first nine Tigers retired. He had a season-high nine strikeouts on the year before Keith’s sixth homer broke up the no-hitter. The Tigers kept the pressure on as Zach McKinstry collected a single and Hao-Yu Lee followed with a homer to left field. Rangers left fielder Alejandro Osuna leaped at the wall and appeared to rob the ball, but Lee’s shot cleared the fence to cut the lead to 5-3.
Detroit threatened again in the sixth with the bases full, but right-hander Peyton Gray worked out of trouble by striking out Lee. The Tigers added another threat in the seventh with two runners on, yet could not plate a run.
For Texas, Valdez’s rough afternoon began with five hits allowed in the first two innings, plus a bases-loaded walk, a sacrifice fly, and a homer by Elias Díaz. The worst of the damage might have been much worse had it not been for a sensational defensive play by Tigers catcher Kerry Carpenter in the first inning. With runners on first and second, Kyle Higashioka’s drive to right-center looked like at least two runs scoring, but Carpenter sprinted toward the wall, reached over the barrier with a backhand grab, and caught the ball just before it cleared the warning track, preserving two runs saved. Carpenter also made another strong play in the third inning, helping keep the Rangers’ lead manageable.