ARLINGTON - The Texas Rangers spent most of Sunday digging out of early holes against the American League's best team, then left Globe Life Field with a series split and a little more runway in September.
Jake Burger homered twice and Ezequiel Duran collected his 12th multi-hit game of the season with at least three hits as Texas beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-6, the Associated Press reported. The Rangers improved to 71-73. The Rays fell to 85-58 but still owned the AL's top record.
Texas remained two games behind in both the AL West and the race for the league's final wild-card berth, per the AP.
Climbing out twice
Tampa Bay sent 10 batters to the plate in a four-run second against left-hander MacKenzie Gore and led 4-0 before Burger answered with a leadoff homer in the bottom half. The Rays stretched the lead to 5-1 in the fourth. Burger answered again with a two-run shot off starter Ian Seymour, his second of the afternoon, as Texas batted around to tie it 5-5.
It was Burger's ninth career multi-homer game. He is tied for the club lead with 25 home runs and leads the Rangers with 82 RBI, according to the AP wrap and ESPN's box score.
With the score still knotted in the fifth, Elias Diaz singled off Steven Matz to drive in Burger, and Duran singled off Casey Legumina to bring home Logan O'Hoppe. The Rays pulled within a run in the seventh. Corey Seager restored the two-run cushion with a solo homer in the eighth, finishing a day when Texas had to keep answering after Gore's early trouble.
Bullpen steadies after Saturday
All-Star closer Jacob Latz worked a scoreless eighth a night after he took the loss in extras. Jakob Junis finished a perfect ninth for his sixth save in seven chances.
