ANAHEIM -- The Rangers’ road trip woes continued Saturday night, but the team breathed a significant sigh of relief regarding third baseman Josh Jung.
Jung exited the Rangers' 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels in the bottom of the fourth inning with left shoulder soreness following a diving play in the third inning on a hard-hit ground ball by Zach Neto. While the sight of the third baseman leaving the field brought immediate concern given his medical history, initial testing provided a positive outlook.
"I think it scared me more than anything because I had that labrum tear in ’22," Jung said in the clubhouse following the game. "Initially, it was just like -- I hadn't had any pain or weird sensation in that area in a while. So it freaked me out a little bit. I think it’s more precautionary. All the tests were negative, so I think I'm all right."
Jung noted that he would see how he felt Sunday morning before determining his availability, but he expressed optimism that he avoided a significant setback.
The injury was a subplot in a frustrating night for the Rangers, whose hopes of salvaging the road trip were undone by a series of squandered opportunities. Despite holding the Angels to just three runs through seven innings, the Rangers’ offense struggled mightily with runners in scoring position, leaving 11 men on base and going 0-for-3 with the bases loaded.
Starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi delivered a gritty performance, tossing seven innings and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out six. Despite the quality start, Eovaldi was visibly frustrated after the game, citing mechanical inconsistencies that forced him to battle through the lineup.
"I feel like tonight I was just kind of getting away with a lot of mistakes," Eovaldi said. "Tonight was frustrating just because I got off a little bit mechanically. ... We just have to do a better job holding the runners there and limiting the runs."
The game remained tight until the bottom of the eighth inning, when a pitching change proved costly.
After Cole Winn allowed consecutive singles, Tyler Alexander entered to face the heart of the Angels' order. A pivotal walk followed by a two-run single from Oswald Peraza effectively put the game out of reach and sealed a losing record trip for the Rangers.
After a road trip filled with close games, Sunday’s series finale represents a final chance to flip the narrative before heading home.
Following Saturday's game, the team announced that left-hander MacKenzie Gore will return from the injured list to start Sunday's finale after being sidelined with left lat tightness. Eovaldi expressed confidence in Gore's ability to help stop the skid.
"Every game is very important, especially in division rivalries," Eovaldi said. "So we're going to make sure we come out tomorrow ready to go. [Gore is] looking healthy and feeling good. I think he's made some good adjustments. So it's going to be good having him out there. I know no better guy to get the job done for us."