LDN - Sports

Rangers rally in ninth to defeat Rockies

[August 09, 2016] DENVER -- Rougned Odor and Jurickson Profar spoke in the Texas Rangers' dugout before the ninth inning began Monday about the possibility of a double steal if the opportunity arose.

The duo accomplished the feat, and it helped the Rangers produce a three-run rally that resulted in a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. The winning run scored on a one-out double by Mitch Moreland.

The double steal was integral to the comeback against Colorado closer Carlos Estevez.

Adrian Beltre, who homered in the seventh to cut the Rockies' lead to 2-1, led off the ninth with a single.

Odor grounded into a fielder's choice, thanks to a diving stop by first baseman Mark Reynolds, and Profar walked on four pitches.

Odor said he and Profar made eye contact, solidifying their intent to steal, and off they went on Estevez's first pitch to Elvis Andrus. Odor easily beat the throw to third.

"We look at each other, and then we just run," Odor said. "When the pitcher isn't throwing strikes, he's like, 'I don't worry about the runner.' I was like, 'OK, he's not throwing strikes, I'm just going to go, first pitch.' And I just did it."

Andrus followed with a two-run single up the middle on Estevez's 90 mph changeup on a 2-1 count.

"It didn't do too much," Andrus said. "I wasn't thinking of a changeup. When you (see the pitcher) throw a hundred (mph), I think the last thing that comes to your mind is waiting for a breaking pitch. But I was trying to stay in the middle (of the field) because I know if I stay in the middle, I know I'll put a good swing on it."

That hit finished Estevez (2-7). Left-hander Boone Logan came on to face the left-handed-hitting Moreland, who pinch-hit in the eighth and stayed in the game. Logan had limited left-handed hitters to a .141 average (11-for-78) with 27 strikeouts before Moreland connected.

Moreland lined Logan's 1-1 slider for a double into the right field corner, scoring Andrus from first.

"He'd thrown me two fastballs, so I knew he was going to try to get (the slider) in there sometime," Moreland said. "It was up and out over the plate. I was just trying to get the barrel to it, and I was able to keep it inside the line."

The Rangers lead the majors with 25 one-run victories, and they won for the fifth time this season when trailing after the eighth.

After winning 11 of their previous 13 games, the Rockies have lost four of their past five.

On Friday, Estevez gave up four runs in the ninth to blow a save as the Rockies fell 5-3 to the Miami Marlins.

"In any baseball player's career, you've got to understand that there are ups and downs," Estevez said. "I think I made my pitches. They got singles, and that's what it is."

The Rockies scored a run in the third on Charlie Blackmon's two-out single.

Nolan Arenado led off the fourth against Cole Hamels with his National League-leading 30th homer and No. 100 of his career. In the eighth, Arenado made it 3-1 with a run-scoring single -- increasing his NL-leading RBI total to 89 -- off Keone Kela (3-1).

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Rangers third baseman Jurickson Profar (19) celebrates with manager Jeff Banister (28) and third base coach Tony Beasley (27) after scoring the tying run in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rangers defeated the Rockies 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Rangers' rally took a potential win away from rookie Tyler Anderson. In his 11th big league start, Anderson gave up a career-low two hits and one run in a career-high-tying seven innings as he lowered his ERA to 3.04.

Anderson allowed a second-inning single to Odor and then retired 13 of the next 16 batters, including the final eight, before Beltre hit his 17th homer in the seventh. Anderson retired the next three batters, the final ones he faced in his 95-pitch outing.

Rockies manager Walt Weiss said, "Tyler was great once again."

But the Rangers, with Anderson gone, found a way to rise up in the ninth and earn an immensely satisfying victory.

"It's big," Profar said. "It's showing who we are. We never quit, and we always battle to the end. And we know we got the guys to do stuff like that all the time."

NOTES: Rockies RF Carlos Gonzalez was lifted for a pinch hitter in the second inning due to left ankle inflammation. He sprained the ankle on Wednesday while coming out of the batters' box. ... Rockies RHP Justin Miller re-strained his left oblique slightly Sunday and had his rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque halted. He last pitched for the Rockies on July 2. ... Rockies RHP Chad Qualls (colitis) will throw to hitters Wednesday, and barring a setback, will then go out on a rehab assignment. He last pitched July 15 for the Rockies. ... Rockies LHP Chris Rusin got an autographed bat from Ichiro Suzuki after giving up the Miami Marlins outfielder's 3,000th hit in the majors Sunday. ... Rangers manager Jeff Banister said OF Carlos Beltran probably would be in the lineup Tuesday, replacing Shin-Soo Choo in right field. Beltran left Saturday's game with a bruised left quadriceps but pinch-hit Sunday and was available to do so again Monday. ... Rangers LHP Cole Hamels was placed eighth in the starting batting order for the first time in his career. He went 0-for-2.

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