Rangers Score 2 Runs In 10th, Rally Past Cardinals 5-4
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward hadn't planned on using Danny Santana, a day after he was hit in the right ankle by a fastball from Carlos Martinez and forced to make an early exit.
But Woodward learned 40 minutes before gametime Sunday that Santana said he was totally fine. Good enough, certainly, to be a pinch-hitter.
Santana delivered, connecting for a pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning and then scoring the winning run in the 10th on a sacrifice fly by Nomar Mazara off Martinez that lifted Texas over the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4.
"The kid is pretty special, to take 97 in the ankle off the bone and come in and hit a pinch-hit homer the next day and have a huge walk the next at-bat — says a lot about who he is," Woodward said.
The Rangers rallied for two runs in the 10th and won for the fourth time in five games. The Cardinals dropped their fifth straight series and haven't won consecutive games since taking five in a row from April 27-May 1.
Santana said through a translator that he was one of the first players in the clubhouse on Sunday morning, took treatment, had his ankle taped and declared himself available.
Santana said that after running from first base to third in the 10th inning on the game-tying single by pinch-hitter Willie Calhoun, he knew he could run home if need be.
Both teams blew leads in the late innings.
Dexter Fowler's solo homer in the ninth off Texas reliever Chris Martin made it 3-all.
The Cardinals went ahead in the 10th when Harrison Bader doubled off Jeanmar Gómez (1-0) and scored on a sacrifice fly by Paul DeJong.
Rougned Odor opened the Texas 10th with a single off Jordan Hicks (1-2), Santana walked and Calhoun had a tying single.
Hicks threw 39 pitches, the most of his two-year major league career.
Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, who was ejected in the fourth by plate umpire Jeremie Rehak after Fowler was called out on a 3-2 pitch, said he had no issue with Hicks' workload.
"We knew he had a count at 40 we were going to hold pretty firm to," Shildt said.
Martinez, the two-time All-Star who made his season debut Saturday following shoulder trouble, entered and intentionally walked Shin-Soo Choo to load the bases with no outs. After Logan Forsythe struck out, Mazara lofted a flyball that scored Santana.
Paul DeJong drove in three runs for the Cardinals.
St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty gave up two runs on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts in six innings. Choo led off the first with a home run.
Rangers starter Drew Smyly sought his first win since Sept. 13, 2016, having missed the next two major league seasons following Tommy John surgery. He pitched four innings, allowing two runs in the first.
The Rangers return to the field Monday to start a home series against the Seattle Mariners.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
