Party at Napoli’s was happening Saturday afternoon at the Globe.
First baseman Mike Napoli had himself a day at the plate with a pair of home runs and four RBI’s as the Rangers continue their hot play in the month of June, beating the Seattle Mariners 10-4 in Arlington. It was Napoli’s first home runs since May 24 as he just returned from the disabled list on Friday.
The fun got started in the first inning as Napoli’s three-run crush helped capped a five-run opening frame for the Rangers. Napoli took a 1-1 pitch over the heart of the plate off former Ranger pitcher Yovani Gallardo and sent it to the leftfield seats.
But it didn’t end there.
In the sixth inning and on another 1-1 pitch, Napoli just destroyed the high fastball up in the zone and sent it for a ride. The end result was two more runs on the board and a possible mark on the Toyota sign out in the leftfield bleacher section.
In fact, the Rangers put on a power display on Saturday afternoon with a total of four homers against the Mariners pitching staff. Rougned Odor and Shin-Soo Choo had the other two round-trippers. It had been more than a month since the Rangers had three homers in a game.
It was also a welcomed sight to see the power display from Napoli, who started to catch fire before landing on the DL with a back injury. The batting average isn’t special at .200 but he does have 13 homers in 190 at-bats. The average isn’t a worry since he’s a career .249 hitter; it’s the power that is the selling point.
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All systems seem to be clicking for the Rangers right now as they fight to stay in the playoff picture and secure a spot in October for the third straight year. The Houston Astros likely have the A.L. West division title locked up. However, Texas is 8-2 in their last 10 games and is right in the middle of the Wild Card race.
The Rangers go for the sweep on Father’s Day, which is also Darvish Day. Righty Yu Darvish will get the start on the bump with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 p.m. at the Globe.
