RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 28: Nicky Lopez #33 of the Texas Rangers hits a sacrifice fly in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 28, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored four runs while the Tampa Bay Rays scored one run.
Tonight the Rangers were facing the team with the American League’s best record at 62-43. They were at their home park where they were an MLB-best 38-15 coming into the game.
Nevertheless, the Rangers won. Here’s some of the major contributors to tonight’s victory:
Starting pitcher Cal Quantrill, who at this point is essentially a mop up journeyman long reliever who has been reborn into the rotation due to injuries. Tonight Quantrill faced a team that is among the toughest to strike out in the league as a pitcher who is among the worst at striking guys out. So of course he struck out seven in 5.1 innings of one-run ball.
The Rays scored that one run with the Rangers up 2-0 after Nicky Lopez had plated the a first inning run for Texas via a sacrifice fly. Lopez, of course, is only here because Corey Seager has been hurt practically all year necessitating the Rangers to sign the veteran utility infielder basically off the street.
After the Rays had tightened the score to a run with Quantrill out of the game, Austin Wynns hit a solo home run to once again give Texas a cushion. Wynns is here because he has arms and legs and owns his own catcher’s mitt and the Rangers don’t have any catchers.
Another journeyman, Wynns joined the Rangers as his third team in 2026. The 35-year-old had only collected 19 career big league home runs in his eight big league season. No. 20 provided Texas some much-needed insurance.
The other star in this one was Ezequiel Duran, who isn’t a journeyman and wasn’t signed for peanuts to plug a hole. However, Duran was something of an afterthought coming into this season only for him to become one of the most important cogs in a machine that is anything but well-oiled and is in need of constant maintenance.
Tonight Duran drove in the Rangers’ second run with a second inning sac fly and then scored Texas’ fourth and final run after getting hit by a pitch, stealing second base, and coming in on an Evan Carter RBI single.
It was the DFA All-Stars who got it done for Texas tonight. At three games over .500, the Rangers have tied their high-water mark of the season.
Player of the Game : While Quantrill has provided the Rangers with some much needed innings, many of his successful frames have felt like Patrick Corbin-esque smoke and mirrors. Not tonight, though. Tonight Quantrill was inexplicably quite good.
At only 69 pitches, Skip Schumaker was careful not to let him go for too long, much to his chagrin, but Quantrill’s five plus innings with one inherited run crossing the plate on just two hits and a walk and seven K’s was a very welcome surprise in the series-opening win.
Up Next : The Rangers and Rays are back at it tomorrow with LHP MacKenzie Gore expected to take the mound for Texas against LHP Ian Seymour for Tampa Bay.
The Wednesday first pitch from The Trop is scheduled for 5:40 pm CDT once again and you can catch it via the Rangers Sports Network.
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