ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Trey Mancini had a tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning and the Baltimore Orioles won 6-1 at Texas on Saturday night, getting their runs against three relievers after Rangers rookie starter Dane Dunning threw six scoreless innings.
The Orioles snapped a 1-1 tie off lefty Joely Rodriguez (0-1) in his season debut. DJ Stewart and Maikel Franco had consecutive singles to start the eighth before Mancini doubled to left. Ryan Mountcastle then had a sacrifice fly when Gold Glove-winning right fielder Joey Gallo made a leaping catch on the warning track.
Freddy Galvis, who finished 4 for 4, had two-out double off Taylor Hearn in the seventh and scored Baltimore’s first run just ahead of a throw by Gallo when Cedric Mullins singled him home. Franco hit a two-run homer in the ninth off Brett de Gues.
“Just big to get the lead and tack on runs, one thing that we’ve kind of been short on the last few years,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I was really impressed with our at-bats the last few innings.”
Travis Lakins (1-0), the third of five Baltimore pitchers, threw a scoreless inning.
Mancini missed all of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season during treatment for colon cancer. Hyde said before the game that Mancini was putting so much pressure on himself and trying so hard after a year away, so the 29-year-old first baseman was the DH for only the second time, and dropped to fifth in the order.
After striking out four times in the series opener Friday, and two groundouts Saturday, Mancini was hitting .145. He then had hits his next two at-bats.
“To see him deliver in a couple of big spots, the base hit to right and then the ball down the left-field line, that’s huge for us and huge for him,” Hyde said.
Dunning extended his…
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