Two Mets were on base when Tyler Alexander entered Wednesday’s game at Globe Life Field. Cody Bradford had already allowed singles to Francisco Alvarez and A.J. Ewing in the fifth inning when Alexander entered with one out and runners on first and second. Texas would lose 7-2, though Alexander’s work kept the game close through the middle innings.
Alexander first retired Francisco Lindor on a flyout. Juan Soto followed and received an intentional walk. That loaded the bases, but it also put the inning in the hands of Bo Bichette. Alexander got him to ground out to second, ending the threat without allowing any of Bradford’s runners to score.
That sequence deserves more credit than the final score makes room for. Alexander bridged the remainder of the fifth, then returned for the sixth and retired Mark Vientos on a lineout, struck out Carson Benge and got Marcus Semien on a groundout.
His official line—1.2 innings, no runs, one hitless appearance, one walk and one strikeout—was useful work in a game that was still tied when he finished.
For the Rangers, the larger relief story was uneven rather than uniformly bad. Alexander kept the Mets from adding to their 2-0 lead. Texas then answered in the bottom of the fifth with its best offensive sequence of the night.
Brandon Nimmo singled, moved to second when Ezequiel Duran grounded out, and scored when Jake Burger singled. Nicky Lopez followed with another single, and Danny Jansen’s walk loaded the bases. Evan Carter’s force play brought Burger home, though it also erased Jansen at second. Wyatt Langford then popped out, leaving Texas tied at 2-2 instead of ahead.
That distinction mattered because the game remained available for several innings. Alexander supplied the clean sixth. Chase Silseth handled the beginning of the seventh by allowing a single to Alvarez, walking Ewing and striking out Nick Morabito. Jacob Latz entered with two runners aboard and immediately kept the inning from becoming expensive: Lindor flew out, Soto was intentionally walked, and Bichette flew out.
Two escapes had kept the score level. Alexander inherited two runners and allowed none to score. Latz inherited two and allowed none to score. Those are not glamorous numbers, but they are the numbers that separate a difficult inning from a damaging one. Texas had problems in the bullpen Wednesday; it did not have the same problem every time a reliever walked through the door.
Latz’s own line became more complicated in the eighth. He struck out Vientos and retired Benge before Semien hit a solo home run to left-center field. That put New York ahead 3-2, and the run was charged to Latz.
It was a decisive moment in a tied game, but still a single run after the previous inning’s escape. Devin Williams then retired Texas in order in the bottom of the eighth, preserving New York’s narrow advantage.
