Osuna's clutch eighth-inning RBI double continues Rangers' road success

DETROIT – Texas Rangers left fielder Alejandro Osuna doubled his RBI total for the season with a go-ahead double he slapped down the third-base line in the eighth inning of a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on a drizzly Friday night at Comerica Park.

Nobody had a better home winning percentage than Detroit (10-2, .833) brought into this game, but Texas continued to do well on the road, where it now has a 9-8 record.

It was a game that started out well for the Rangers before the Tigers fought back to draw even.

Texas starter MacKenzie Gore was staked to a 4-0 lead through three innings, but required 48 pitches in the first two innings despite facing only four batters in each of those two frames.

Gore got back on track with a nine-pitch third inning, but then could not survive the fourth inning after allowing a two-out, two-run single to Wenceel Pérez and then an RBI single to Hao-Yu Lee.

Gore needed 37 pitches to get two outs in the fourth, when he was relieved by Cole Winn, who came on to strike out Gleyber Torres to end the threat with two runners on base.

Texas had control until that point.

Catcher Danny Jansen got a fastball right down the middle from Detroit starter Jack Flaherty, and he did not miss it to lead off the third inning with his second homer of the season. It traveled a Statcast-projected 377 feet at an exit velocity of 102.7 mph.

Then Flaherty walked the next three Rangers in order – Brandon Nimmo, Evan Carter and Corey Seager – and was in a bad spot with nobody out.

Josh Jung, named Thursday as the Rangers' Player of the Month for March/April, then singled in a run for his second consecutive at-bat. Jung also accomplished that feat in the first inning to run his hitting streak to 10 games.

Designated hitter Joc Pederson’s sacrifice fly made it 4-0.

Nimmo, who had singled in the first inning and again in the fourth, left the game after his second hit with right hamstring tightness. He’d exited the Rangers’ last game Wednesday in Arlington with the same injury, but was back in the starting lineup Friday night.

Second baseman Ezequiel Duran replaced Nimmo in right field, and Josh Smith came in to play second after also pinch-running for Nimmo.

The Tigers tied the game, 4-4, when left fielder Riley Greene hit a grounder to second that scored Jahmai Jones from third as Greene beat out the relay throw to first to avert an inning-ending double play.