06/05/26 11:52:00
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06/05 23:50 CDT Corey Seager hits a 2-run homer in his Rangers return, snapping
an 0-for-29 skid
Corey Seager hits a 2-run homer in his Rangers return, snapping an 0-for-29 skid
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Baseball Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) --- Corey Seager's first hit in a month for the Texas
Rangers was a big one in his return from the injured list.
Seager belted a two-run homer homer in the sixth inning that put the Rangers
ahead in a 3-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night. The five-time
All-Star shortstop and two-time World Series MVP missed the previous 19 games
because of lower back inflammation.
That homer also snapped a career-worst 0-for-29 slump in his 12 big league
seasons, since his previous hit May 6.
"It was just nice to get out there with the guys again," Seager said. "You
obviously want to help."
He went deep off Cleveland rookie Parker Messick right after a double by Wyatt
Langford, who was also activated from the IL before the game. Seager's eighth
homer of the season made it 3-2.
"It's definitely good to have them back," said Rangers manager Skip Schumaker,
who saw good signs early in the game. "Their timing looked right the first
at-bat, both of them. ... Good news on both ends."
Langford, the left fielder, had missed 39 games since going on the injured list
April 22 because of a right forearm strain. They batted 1-2 in the lineup and
their consecutive extra-base hits came in their third at-bats.
Seager, still hitting .181 in his 43 games, went into the series opener in an
0-for-27 slide that included 11 strikeouts. He had been hitless in his previous
seven games, also a career worst, since an RBI single on May 6 at Yankee
Stadium after he hit a home run earlier in that game.
"I'm excited to see, really for the first time in some time, our group
together. Still missing (second baseman) Josh Smith, but beyond that, we have
not had our group together in a long time," Chris Young, the team's president
of baseball operations, said before the game.
"Look at the past week, 10 days, and there have been a lot of positives with
the way we've played," Young said. "And now getting Corey and Wyatt back in
this lineup, I think will be very big for us. I'm excited to see what that does
for everybody."
The Rangers (31-32) have won six of their last seven games.
"Honestly, in a weird way, it's an easier way to come back for me and Wyatt
when the team's going (good)," Seager said. "You've just got to hop on the
train and keep going. So it's definitely nice to be playing good and just to be
able to be back out there."
Utility man Cody Freeman and outfielder Alejandro Osuna were optioned to
Triple-A Round Rock to make room on the roster. Utility player Sam Haggerty was
designated for assignment after he was activated from the bereavement/family
medial emergency list.
Langford and Seager played in two rehab games together this week at Double-A
Frisco. That was after Langford played two games with Round Rock.
Seager hadn't been in a big league game since May 13. At that point, the
32-year-old shortstop had started 42 of the Rangers' first 43 games. He said
then that physically he felt "completely fine" after playing all of their 24
games in a 27-day span.
The Rangers had a day off after that and planned for Seager to get an extra
break by sitting out the series opener at Houston. But he didn't play at all in
that series after waking up one morning with back spasms.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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