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.
Travis Lakins (1-0), the third of five Baltimore pitchers, threw a scoreless inning.
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Mancini missed all of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season during treatment for colon cancer. Manager Brandon Hyde said before Saturday’s game that Mancini was putting so much pressure on himself and trying so hard after a year away, so he gave the 29-year-old first baseman a break as the DH for only the second time, and dropped him to fifth in the order.
After striking out in all four plate appearances in the series opener Friday, and grounding out his first two at-bats Saturday, Mancini was hitting .145. He singled in the fourth, then had the go-ahead hit in his next at-bat.
Dunning extended his scoreless streak to 14 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander was acquired when the Rangers traded workhorse veteran starter Lance Lynn to the Chicago White Sox in December.
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He struck out five while scattering five singles on his 75 pitches, and hasn’t given up a run since a homer in the first inning of his first start.
Texas took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on David Dahl’s RBI single against rookie right-hander Dean Kremer, who struck out six and walked one in his 4 2/3 innings.
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TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: LF Austin Hays (right hamstring strain), on the injured list since April 5, likely will rejoin the Orioles for their series opener at Miami on Tuesday. “He’s progressed very well, played the last couple days and has checked all the boxes from a health standpoint,” Hyde said.
Rangers: DH Willie Calhoun (left groin strain) and 3B Brock Holt (right hamstring strain) were both activated from the injured list and were in the starting lineup. The Rangers optioned LHP Wes Benjamin and INF Anderson Tejeda to their alternate training site.
UP NEXT
Rangers RHP Kyle Gibson (2-0, 4.05 ERA) tries to win his third straight start since recording only one out in the shortest opening-day start in franchise history. Orioles lefty John Means (1-0, 2.16) is coming off a no-decision against Seattle, the first time in seven starts he allowed more than one run.
