ARLINGTON, Texas — Adolis Garcia homered for the fifth time in as many games, Corey Seager and Josh Jung hit two-run doubles in a five-run fifth inning and the Texas Rangers beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 on Friday night.
Martin Perez (5-1) allowed two runs and seven hits in a season-high seven innings and matched a season high with seven strikeouts, including five looking, and walked none. His 104 pitches were also the most he has thrown this season.
The Rangers have won nine of their last 13 games.
Karl Kauffmann (0-1) allowed five runs, including four earned, in 4 1/3 innings in his major league debut. The 2019 second-round draft pick out of Michigan gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out four.
Garcia’s opposite-field homer to right opened the scoring in the fourth inning. It was his AL-leading 14th and gave him a majors-best 48 RBIs. He hit two homers in his previous game.
“You’re just seeing a good hitter in a zone right now,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s so strong. He can hit the ball out of any part of the ballpark.”
Perez recovered following two shaky outings — 11 runs in 8 2/3 innings — by changing his release point, getting rid of the pitch earlier.
“Tonight was fun,” he said.
Seager’s opposite-field double into the left-field corner was his first hit since returning to the lineup Wednesday after missing 31 games with a strained left hamstring.
Ezequiel Duran, who primarily filled in for Seager at shortstop, had a double and two singles as the DH. A walk helped give him a career-high four times on base.
Colorado scored twice in the sixth on doubles by Charlie Blackmon and Elias Diaz and a single by Randal Grichuk. Diaz’s double sliced high and far into the right-field corner and it appeared he initially thought it was foul.
Ryan McMahon had a double and two singles for the Rockies to match a season high in hits.
Kauffmann, 25, pitched in place of Ryan Feltner, who sustained a skull fracture and concussion last Saturday when he was struck by a line drive. The Rockies already had starters German Marquez, Antonio Senzatela and Noah Davis on the injured list, with Marquez lost for the remainder of the season (Tommy John surgery).
“It was good to see him out there competing, and I thought he did it with some poise,” Rockies manager Bud Black said.
Four of five leadoff hitters against Kauffmann reached – one on a throwing error by shortstop Ezequiel Tovar – and two of those scored. Texas batters were more successful after seeing him after an at-bat or two.
“When I throw 15 pitches to one guy, they’re going to put together some at-bats,” Kauffmann said. “There’s definitely some things to build off of in there.”
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Relatively few seats at Globe Life Field were filled at first pitch, likely a result of multiple storms rolling through Arlington throughout the afternoon and night. The announced crowd was 30,819, the AL West-leading Rangers’ 10th gathering of 30,000 or more in 22 home games. Last year’s last-place team attracted its 10th such crowd just before the All-Star break.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: RHP Jacob deGrom (elbow inflammation) said he has “turned a corner” toward his return by throwing a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday. DeGrom was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 29, a day after he left a start against the New York Yankees in the fourth inning.
Rockies: RHP Noah Davis (elbow inflammation) threw a bullpen Friday.
UP NEXT
Saturday afternoon’s middle game of the series will match two hot starters. Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (4-4, 3.16 ERA) shut out Philadelphia over six innings last Sunday for his club-best sixth quality start of the season. Rangers RHP Jon Gray (3-1, 3.15) has allowed only one run in his last 15 innings.
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