The Texas Rangers extended their World Series win streak to 2 games on Tuesday night. The Rangers offence came alive and tallied 11 runs. Texas won Game 4 by a score of 11-7 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Even without slugger Adolis Garcia, the Rangers offence still put up double-digits in the run column. The Texas Rangers are on the verge of winning their first ever World Series.
W: Andrew Heaney (1-0) L: Joe Mantiply (2-1)
Andrew Heaney, Rangers:
Andrew Heaney had a dazzling start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With Max Scherzer being out for the rest of the World Series, Andrew Heaney may be able to secure the SP3 spot over Jon Gray. The veteran lefty went 5.0 IP, allowing only one earned run on four hits. Heaney also struck out 3 batters and registered 2 walks. The southpaw is considered a finesse pitcher rather than a strikeout pitcher, so the low strikeout numbers were expected.
Oddly enough, the Arizona Diamondbacks had at least one runner on in each of Heaney’s 5 frames. However, Heaney did a nice job in limiting the damage and only allowing 1 run, despite multiple jams.
For example, the bottom of the first inning started rather poorly for Heaney. Second baseman Ketel Marte extended his record-setting postseason hit streak to 20 games with a single. However, Heaney punched out the next two batters in Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno. With 2 outs, Ketel Marte attempted to steal second base, where catcher Jonah Heim threw him out to conclude the inning.
While Heaney’s start was rather bumpy overall, he was still able to hurl 5 frames of one-run ball and led the Rangers to an 11-7 victory.
Arizona Diamondbacks’ Bullpen:
The Arizona Diamondbacks had an issue in the starting rotation in regards to reliable options at the SP4 and SP5 position. Brandon Pfaadt emerged to fill the void at SP3, but when there aren’t any reliable options beyond that, the Diamondbacks are forced to have bullpen days, even in the World Series. This bullpen day did not go as planned.
The defence by the Arizona Diamondbacks did not help the pitching staff, as the bullpen yielded 11 runs, with 5 being unearned. In fact, the Rangers scored 10 runs total in the 2nd and 3rd innings alone.
Here are the final pitching lines from the Diamondbacks’ pitchers on Tuesday night:
Joe Mantiply – 1.1 IP, 1 Hit, 1 ER, K, BB
Miguel Castro – 0.1 IP, 2 Hits, 3 ER, BB
Kyle Nelson – 0.2 IP, 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 ER
Luis Frias – 0.2 IP, 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 K’s
Ryne Nelson – 5.1 IP, 3 Hits, 1 ER, 6 K’s
Andrew Saalfrank – 0.2 IP, 0 ER
Ryne Nelson was clearly the standout pitcher for the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. Arizona will require more consistency from their bullpen depth as they look to come back from a 3-1 deficit.
Offensive Breakdown, Rangers:
The Texas Rangers had an excellent night offensively in Game 4, scoring 11 runs during the contest. The Rangers registered 11 hits and 2 walks, striking out only 9 times and leaving only 12 men on base. Texas’ offence was rather stale in the later innings, but they did enough damage early on to seal the win.
After a lacklustre first inning, the Rangers led off the second frame with a Josh Jung double. Nathaniel Lowe, the next batter, struck out on three pitches. Then, Jonah Heim grounded out, setting Texas up with a runner on third with 2 away. However, Miguel Castro threw a wild pitch, allowing Josh Jung to score and resulting in a Leody Taveras walk. Travis Jankowski came up and roped a single, giving Texas two men on.
The leadoff hitter, Marcus Semien, roped a triple to left field, extending the Rangers’ lead to 3-0. But the Rangers weren’t done yet. Corey Seager crushed a 431 FT 2-run shot to make the score 5-0. This was Seager’s 3rd homer of the World Series and his 6th of the 2023 postseason.
Fast forward to the 3rd inning where Travis Jankowski came up to the dish with the bases loaded and 2 away. Jankowski crushed a double 98.1 MPH to right field for a 2-run double, extending Texas’ lead to 7-0. Then, Marcus Semien unloaded on a 95.7 MPH fastball from Luis Frias and sent it to the seats in left-centre field. The Texas Rangers went up 10-0 by the third inning.
In the top of the 8th frame, Jonah Heim smashed a 377 FT dinger to right field, giving the Rangers an 11-1 lead. The Rangers’ offence looks to continue mashing in order to win Game 5 and the World Championship along with it.
Offensive Breakdown, Diamondbacks:
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ offensive attack was rather poor during the early and middle innings. They scored 6 runs in the 8th and 9th innings, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Rangers’ explosive offence. While the Diamondbacks registered 1 more hit and 1 more walk than Texas, they were unable to capitalize on these situations. Arizona struck out only 6 times, but they stranded 16 runners on base.
One of the more obvious cases in regards to this issue is during the bottom of the 4th inning. Gabriel Moreno began the inning with a walk. Christian Walker followed with a double with an exit velocity of 103.2 MPH to give Arizona runners on second and third with no outs. However, Tommy Pham was caught looking at a fastball that caught plenty of the plate. Then, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. registered a sacrifice fly to deep right field, scoring Gabriel Moreno and putting the Diamondbacks on the scoreboard. However, Alek Thomas grounded out to conclude the frame. ‘
While Arizona tallied a run in that fourth inning, they could have had much more in the frame if they registered the timely hits when they needed them.
In the 8th inning, Arizona had the bases loaded with only 1 out. Tommy Pham stepped up to the dish and recorded a sacrifice fly, making the score 11-2. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. continued his solid night and roped a 382 FT 3-run shot to make the score 11-5. In the bottom of the 9th frame, Gabriel Moreno registered a 2-run single, but the Diamondbacks were unable to complete the late-inning comeback. Arizona’s offence will have to capitalize on scoring opportunities in order to stay alive in the Fall Classic.
Top Performers, Rangers:
Marcus Semien (2B) – 2-5, 2 Runs, HR, 5 RBI
Corey Seager (SS) – 2-5, Run, HR, 2 RBI
Josh Jung (3B) – 3-5, 2 Runs
Jonah Heim (C) – 1-4, 2 Runs, HR, RBI
Travis Jankowski (RF) – 2-4, 2 Runs, 2 RBI
Andrew Heaney (SP) – 5.0 IP, 4 Hits, ER, 3 K’s, 2 BB
Top Performers, Diamondbacks:
Ketel Marte (2B) – 2-5, Double
Gabriel Moreno (C) – 2-4, 2 Runs, 2 RBI, BB
Christian Walker (1B) – 3-5, Run
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (LF) – 2-3, Run, HR, 4 RBI
Game 5 of the World Series begins on Wednesday, November 1 at 8:03 PM EST. Nathan Eovaldi looks to rebound from his poor Game 1 start for the Texas Rangers. Zac Gallen will receive the ball for Arizona, hoping to turn his abysmal postseason around. The Diamondbacks had a frightening Halloween night for all the wrong reasons. They will have to fire on all cylinders to stay alive and force a Game 6.
(Photo Via Brynn Anderson/AP)