DETROIT (AP) — Ezequiel Duran hit a three-run triple with two out in the ninth inning to give the Texas Rangers a 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night.
“That kid has ice water in his veins,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “The Tigers have a great closer who is throwing 100 mph, and Ezequiel has no fear, even in a spot like that.”
Tigers closer Gregory Soto loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter before Duran hit a ball just inside first base and into the right-field corner. All three runners scored, giving Soto his second blown save of the season.
“I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time,” said the 23-year-old Duran, who is hitting .319 since making his major-league debut on June 4. “I have a lot of faith in myself, and I was ready for anything he threw.”
Dennis Santana (3-2) picked up the win with a scoreless eighth inning, and Joe Barlow pitched the ninth for his 12th save.
Soto’s collapse, which led to Detroit’s fifth straight loss, wasted seven scoreless innings by Detroit starter Beau Brieske.
“Gregory lives on the edge some of the time and today it was a bit too much,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “Beau did a great job of attacking hitters and staying ahead in the counts.”
The Tigers have been outscored 36-7 in the losing streak, and are averaging 2.68 runs — the worst mark by any team since World War II.
“There’s no secret that we aren’t scoring runs, so we have to try to do anything we can to score every run possible,” Hinch said.
Texas starter Martin Perez extended his unbeaten streak to 11 games. He allowed one run on eight hits in seven innings.
“The reason I care about that streak is because I don’t have to have games where I cost us the game,” Perez said. “Today, I kept…