ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Grayson Rodriguez struck out eight over six innings for his AL-best 12th win, and Cedric Mullins became the eighth Baltimore batter with 10 home runs this season as the Orioles beat the Texas Rangers 8-4 on Saturday night.
Jordan Westburg and Ryan O’Hearn also went deep to increase Baltimore’s major league-best total to 156 home runs, 16 more than the New York Yankees.
The AL East-leading Orioles, the first American League team to reach 60 wins, went ahead to stay with a four-run second against Max Scherzer (1-3). The three-time Cy Young Award winner didn’t return at the start of the next inning.
Rodriguez (12-4) struck out the side in the sixth to end his night. The right-hander allowed his only three hits and two runs in a four-batter span in the second inning before retiring 13 of the last 14 he faced. He is the first Orioles pitcher since Sidney Ponson in 2003 to win 12 of his first 18 appearances in a season.
Mullins’ bunt single with two on in the second led to the first run, when Scherzer’s throwing error past first allowed each runner to advance an extra base. No. 9 batter Ramón Urías followed with a two-run single and later scored on Anthony Santander’s single.
Scherzer struck out one, walked two and gave up four hits while throwing 53 pitches (34 strikes).
A night after the Orioles got all their runs on four homers in a 9-1 series-opening win, they were up 4-0 before Mullins went deep off José Ureña in the third. Westburg, an All-Star who was in an 0-for-15 slide before his leadoff single in the second, hit a two-run homer in the sixth and O’Hearn had a solo shot in the ninth.
Andrew Knizner had a two-run single in the Texas second. The Rangers didn’t score again until Wyatt Langford snapped an 0-for-27 slide with an RBI double in the eighth, after Corey Seager walked to extend his on-base streak to 20 games, the longest active streak in the majors.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Heston Kjerstad was activated from the seven-day concussion injured list, and started in right field. He took a 97 mph fastball to the helmet on July 12. He went 0 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout. To make room on the active roster, the Orioles optioned outfielder Kyle Stowers to Triple-A Norfolk.
Rangers: After LHP Cody Bradford (low back strain) made a rehab start for the Rangers’ rookie-level team in Arizona on Friday, RHPs Tyler Mahle (right elbow surgery rehab) and Dane Dunning (right rotator cuff strain) both pitched Saturday for Triple-A Round Rock. … OF Derek Hill was designated for assignment when INF Justin Foscue was recalled from Round Rock.
UP NEXT
RHP Dean Kremer (4-5, 4.38 ERA) starts the series finale Sunday for Baltimore. Left-hander Andrew Heaney (3-10, 3.79) pitches for the Rangers.
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