 gave up five hits and three runs with one walk and eight strikeouts. He improved to 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA over his last four starts.Ariel Jurado, who won each of his previous three starts, lasted three batters into the fourth inning. Jurado (4-3) allowed nine hits, the most of any of his six starts this season, and seven runs with one walk and no strikeouts. He also hit a batter.''Jurado left a lot of balls over the plate,'' Texas manager Chris Woodward said. ''They were all over his changeup.'' The Rangers went 4-3 on their road trip through Boston and Cincinnati.Neither Puig in right field or Winker in center moved more than a step on Choo's first-inning rocket into the right-center field seats, Choo's 12th of the season.Winker followed Jose Peraza's sacrifice fly, Peraza's first of the season, with a two-run double for a 3-1 Reds lead in the second. It was Winker's first RBIs since May 28.''He's been hitting the ball hard,'' Bell said. ''The results haven't been there.'' Pence tied it with his drive into the visitors' bullpen in left-center field in the third on a 3-0 fastball, Pence's 17th career homer against Cincinnati, tied for the second most against any opponent.Winker added an RBI single in Cincinnati's three-run fifth.FATHER'S DAY IThe Reds placed SS Jose Iglesias on the three-day paternity list and activated RHP Robert Stephenson from the 10-day injured list. Stephenson had been out since May 31 with a cervical strain.FATHER'S DAY IIRangers outfielder Delino DeShields and his father, Reds first base coach Delino DeShields, presented their team's lineup cards to the umpires at the plate before the game. Father and son exchanged a handshake and hug.SAVE THE BALLGray's triple was the first extra-base hit of his six-year career, the first five of which were spent in the American League. It was the first triple by a Cincinnati pitcher since 2015.RARE PEARANCEMike Minor pinch-hit in the fifth, the third time a Rangers pitcher has pinch-hit in an interleague game and first since 2014.WAIT IT OUTThe start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 34 minutes, by rain and ended in another downpour.TRAINER'S ROOMRangers: OF Nomar Mazara did not start and was set to have an MRI on Monday after leaving Saturday's game with a tight right hamstring. ... RF Hunter Pence left the game with tightness in his right groin after chasing Peraza's ground-rule double down the right field line in the fifth.Reds: OF Nick Senzel was not in Sunday's starting lineup, but he was available, manager David Bell said. Senzel needed three stitches to close a cut above his left eye, the result of a foul tip that bounced off his left foot and hit the bill of his batting helmet and his eye Saturday. ... IF Scooter Gennett will begin a rehab stint Monday with four or five days at Class A Daytona. He has been out all season with a right groin strain.UP NEXTRangers: RHP Lance Lynn (7-4, 4.40) is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in two career starts against Cleveland going into Monday's opener of a four-game series and seven-game Texas home stand.Reds: RHP Luis Castillo (6-1, 2.20) is scheduled to make his first career appearance against Houston in Monday's opener of a three-game series in Cincinnati.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Rangers, Jurado looking for sweep of RedsFLMThe Texas Rangers aim to record their third series sweep of the season on Sunday when they play the finale of a three-game set against the host Cincinnati Reds.The Rangers, who swept the Los Angeles Angels in April and Seattle in May, have benefited from a pair of two-run first innings to take each of the first two contests of their series versus the Reds."To get three is a big one. It's hard to sweep a major league team, but we have an opportunity to do that," Texas manager Chris Woodward said following Saturday's 4-3 win. "We've got a pretty good one in (Ariel) Jurado going for us."We're going to come out with a ton of energy and kind of take it to them, because a lot of times if you jump out early on a team that is down 2-0 in the series, you tend to step on them a little bit." Jurado (4-2, 3.02 ERA) improved to 3-0 with a 3.70 ERA in his last four starts on Tuesday after allowing three runs on five hits in six innings of a 9-5 win at Boston.Jurado will be making his 27th career appearance (14th start) and first versus Cincinnati. The 23-year-old right-hander has not faced anyone on the Reds' current roster, although he would be wise to pitch carefully to Yasiel Puig.Puig, who had three hits in the Reds' 7-1 setback in the series opener, extended his hitting streak to four games with a two-run homer in the fourth inning on Saturday.Curt Casali also went deep for the Reds, who sustained their third loss in four games and 15th one-run setback this season."It's frustrating to lose any way," Cincinnati manager David Bell said of the close losses. "There's no good way to lose, but it makes you feel like you're so close." The availability of Reds rookie Nick Senzel is in question after he fouled a pitch that caromed off both the ground and his foot before bouncing back toward his face."It just hit me in the eye," said the 23-year-old Senzel, who noted that he needed "three or four" stitches to close the wound."I don't know what to say. I just got hit in the eye and got stitches. I'll try to throw some ice on it and get the swelling down. I don't think it's that big of a deal." Cincinnati right-hander Sonny Gray (2-5, 3.65 ERA) hopes his previous success against Texas continues in the series finale, as he sports an 8-3 record with a 2.72 ERA in 14 career appearances (13 starts) versus the Rangers.Gray has kept Rougned Odor (4-for-31, eight strikeouts), Asdrubal Cabrera (2-for-14) and Elvis Andrus 7-for-37, eight strikeouts) under wraps, although former Red Shin-Soo Choo is batting a robust .320 (8-for-25) versus the hurler.The 29-year-old Gray received a no-decision in his last trip to the mound last Sunday despite allowing three runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings at Philadelphia.--Field Level Media
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