WEST SACRAMENTO -- With how cold several key Rangers hitters had been at the plate amid the club’s four-game losing streak, manager Skip Schumaker couldn’t help but theorize before Saturday’s game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park that a few hot streaks were in order.
“There’s always belief that things are going to turn,” Schumaker said.
For outfielder Wyatt Langford -- and perhaps for the Rangers as a whole -- things might have turned on one big swing in West Sacramento.
Langford delivered the go-ahead home run in Saturday’s 5-3 victory over the A’s, a two-run shot in the sixth to give Texas the lead after facing an early 3-0 deficit. It was Langford’s first homer since Aug. 1, and it was part of a three-hit night -- his first multihit game since July 25.
The Rangers’ first-round pick in the 2023 Draft has delivered solid production in 2026 despite two stints on the injured list, suffering a right forearm strain in April and a left hamstring strain in late June. On Saturday, he batted in the cleanup spot for just the second time all season, which proved to be a wise decision. After Brandon Nimmo doubled and Corey Seager drove him in with a single to start the sixth, Langford drove a poorly located cutter from A’s starter J.T. Ginn a Statcast-projected 421 feet to left field, flipping his bat as he watched the baseball fly.
After faltering in Friday’s series opener, the Rangers’ bullpen helped lock down Texas’ first win since Monday in Anaheim. Right-hander Jakob Junis, activated from the injured list before the game, pitched a 1-2-3 seventh, and lefty Jacob Latz pitched the eighth and ninth to earn his 24th save of the season.
With the much-needed win, the Rangers (61-63) are back in a postseason spot, holding a narrow half-game lead over the Blue Jays, Orioles and Tigers for the third American League Wild Card position.