​ARLINGTON, Texas — With the game tied at three as the bottom of the eighth began, the Texas Rangers needed a late burst of offense to push past the Los Angeles Angels. They got more than a burst: a five-run rally that swung the game decisively in their favor, producing an 8-3 victory in the series opener and lifting the Rangers back above .500 at 46-45 on the season.
The decisive swing came from Alejandro Osuna, who delivered a three-run homer off Angels reliever Sam Bachman to seal the win. Before Osuna connected, Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue had already plated runs with RBI singles to start the inning and help Texas grab and extend its first lead of the night.
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker credited the eighth-inning surge to steady at-bats across the lineup. “I thought some of the balls just kind of snuck through,” he said, referencing the late inning. “There’s just value in putting the ball in play, and I think Osuna caught one late as well, putting the ball in play early in the count and with two strikes… up and down the lineup having really good at-bats.”
The big inning followed a seventh-inning pinch-hit homer by Foscue, the Rangers’ first career pinch-hit homer and a moment that sparked the late rally. Schumaker emphasized the challenge of pinch-hitting, especially against left-handed pitching, and highlighted Foscue’s contribution. “Pinch-hitting is the hardest thing to do as a hitter in this game,” he noted. “Justin has been huge for us against left-handers all year long, and that was one of the biggest hits of his young career so far.”
Tuesday’s win marked just the third time this season that Texas has claimed victory after trailing at the end of the top of the seventh. The early deficit again reflected in starter Jacob deGrom’s night, as he allowed two first-inning runs. However, he settled in for five innings, keeping the damage to those two runs. Afterward, deGrom revealed he was dealing with a leg/hip issue that tends to flare up but usually resolves between starts. “I think I’ll be fine,” he said after the game. “I think we’ll manage it. I think we’ll stay on top of it this week and I’ll be good to go.”
The Rangers now look to build on the momentum, supported by a late-inning surge that turned a tight game into a comfortable victory. With Osuna delivering the knockout blow and Foscue’s timely seventh-inning homer setting the stage, Texas demonstrated a determined resilience to flip the script in a pivotal series opener.