Brandon Nimmo and Wyatt Langford homered and Kumar Rocker and Marco Gonzales combined on a three-hit shutout as the Texas Rangers routed the visiting Chicago White Sox 10-0 on Tuesday.
Texas answered Chicago’s 10-3 victory in Monday’s series opener with a runaway of its own, collecting 18 hits while finishing 7-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Nimmo powered the Rangers to a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, reaching White Sox starter Noah Schultz for a two-run blast with two out in the first inning. The Texas right fielder finished 4-for-4. Alejandro Osuna added three hits and three RBIs, Langford had two hits and two RBIs and Ezequiel Duran and Nicky Lopez both contributed two hits and an RBI.
Schultz, a rookie left-hander, endured one of the roughest outings of his young career to fall to 3-7. He allowed five runs on a career-high 11 hits over 3 2/3 innings, which matched a personal low. Schultz struck out two and didn’t walk a batter for the third time in five starts.
Rocker (3-8) countered with a sparkling effort to earn his first victory since May 19 at Colorado. After pitching to a 9.00 ERA in two starts covering 10 innings to begin July, the right-hander stymied Chicago over six shutout innings.
Munetaka Murakami’s leadoff single in the fourth inning marked the lone White Sox hit against Rocker, who scattered two walks and six strikeouts while throwing 50 of his 75 pitches for strikes. Rocker retired eight straight batters before the base hit and seven in a row after.
Texas scored in each inning Rocker pitched other than the second. The Rangers broke the game open with a four-run fifth. Langford punctuated the rally with a two-run homer against Tyler Schweitzer one batter after Osuna grounded a two-run single to right.
Gonzales picked up his first career save, working around two hits and two walks in three shutout innings.
Chicago shortstop Luisangel Acuna needed just five pitches to complete a perfect eighth. Acuna and Miguel Vargas notched the White Sox other hits.
Rangers third baseman Josh Jung left the game with left calf tightness in the fifth inning.
