Rangers Dominate Braves to Cap Off Series Sweep and Extend Winning Streak to Six
Wyatt Langford delivered a three-run double in the first inning, and rookies Josh Smith and Josh Jung each contributed two RBIs as the red-hot Texas Rangers cruised to an 8-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday afternoon at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
With the win, Texas secured its second straight series sweep and its fourth consecutive series victory. Now 8-1 since the All-Star break, the Rangers have climbed within four games of the Houston Astros in the American League West. They tallied 10 hits in the contest, including three from Smith, and have now won six games in a row.
Atlanta, on the other hand, continued its post-break struggles, dropping its fifth straight game and seventh out of nine. The Braves managed just four hits across three Texas pitchers and fell a season-worst 16 games below .500. Still stuck in fourth in the National League East, the team is desperately seeking momentum.
Rookie Jack Leiter impressed once again for the Rangers, giving up only one run on two hits over six strong innings. He issued three walks and tied his season-high with seven strikeouts en route to his third straight win—a career best.
Meanwhile, Braves starter Brad Elder struggled mightily in a return near his hometown of Decatur, Texas. He was shelled for eight runs over just 2 2/3 innings, allowing six hits, four walks, and hitting one batter.
Texas got on the board quickly, scoring three runs in the first on Langford’s two-out double, cashing in baserunners Smith, Marcus Semien, and Adolis García—all of whom reached without a hit.
Atlanta briefly responded in the second inning when Sean Murphy’s bloop ground-rule double scored Drake Baldwin. But the Rangers answered right back in the bottom half as Smith crushed a two-run homer to right, bringing home Jonah Heim and extending the lead to 5-1.
In the third, Texas loaded the bases on Elder before Jung delivered a two-run single, and Heim followed with an RBI knock of his own to end Elder’s short afternoon. From there, the Rangers coasted, their early offensive barrage proving far too much for the Braves to overcome.
