The Sports Xchange
May 17, 2017
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Center fielder Jared Hoying's career night helped the Texas Rangers extend their winning streak to eight games with a 9-3 rout of Philadelphia.
Hoying had a career-high four hits and collected his first major league homer as the Rangers won an eighth straight for the first time since 2013. The eight-game winning streak matches the New York Yankees' April run for the longest in the majors this season.
Texas scored runs in each of the first five innings and set a season high with 17 hits.
Hoying (4-for-4) fell a triple shy of the cycle. His home run -- a two-run shot in the fifth inning -- extended the Texas lead to 9-0. He singled in the first, doubled in the second and added another single in the seventh. He also scored three times.
Andrew Cashner (1-3), who had received a total of six runs of support in his first six starts, was the beneficiary of all the offense as he won for the first time as a Ranger. He pitched seven innings and allowed two runs on eight hits.
Zach Eflin (0-1) was charged with seven runs in four innings as he gave up a career-high 11 hits.
Texas set the tone in the first inning by jumping out to a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly from Jonathan Lucroy. The Rangers got sac flies from Shin-Soo Choo and Mike Napoli in the next two innings to extend the lead to 3-0. The Napoli RBI started a four-run third that was capped by a two-run single from Choo.
Rougned Odor's RBI single extended the lead to 7-0 in the fourth before Hoying's big blow in the fifth.
Texas outfielder Delino DeShields also matched his career high with four hits, with three of them infield singles. Choo had three hits and three RBIs.
The Phillies got on the board in the seventh on a two-run homer from Michael Saunders. Saunders, Tommy Joseph and Daniel Nava each had two hits for Philadelphia. Maikel Franco added an RBI single in the ninth inning.
NOTES: Former President George W. Bush was in attendance. ... The Rangers have now won three-consecutive series for the first time since Sept. 19-28, 2016. ... Philadelphia is now 0-4 in interleague play this season. ... Texas had one four-hit game on the season entering Wednesday, that coming from CF Carlos Gomez on April 29, when he hit for the cycle. ... The teams combined for eight double plays.