ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Texas Rangers slugger Josh Jung homered and drove in four runs before leaving Monday night’s 9-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays with a fractured right wrist.
The All-Star third baseman left in the ninth inning when he was struck by a pitch he swung at and missed.
Manager Bruce Bochy said there’s no definitive timetable for him to return to the lineup.
“I just feel horrible for him. He’s had such tough luck on this thing as far as the injuries and it puts a damper on this one,” Bochy said. “He’ll be back. I talked to him briefly, and this hurts. You know I feel for the kid because he’s had to deal with so much. … It’s going to be a little while but he’ll be back.”
Dane Dunning took a one-hitter into the seventh inning for the World Series champion Rangers, and Adolis García delivered his 100th career home run.
In a rematch of clubs that met during the Rangers’ postseason run last fall, Dunning limited the Rays to Jose Siri’s third-inning double until Richie Palacios homered with one out in the seventh.
The right-hander didn’t retire another batter, departing after sandwiching a pair of walks around Siri’s two-run homer that trimmed Tampa Bay’s deficit to 6-3.
Jung, who had three hits, ruined right-hander Ryan Pepiot’s debut for the Rays, who acquired the 26-year-old in an offseason trade that sent Tyler Glasnow to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The All-Star third baseman hit a three-run homer in the first and added an RBI single off Pepiot during a three-run sixth.
García’s homer, a solo shot off reliever Chris Devenski, gives him three in four games this season. He drove in another run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth.
The Rangers went 11-0 on the road during their 2023 championship run, beginning the journey with a pair of victories over the Rays at Tropicana Field in a sweep of their best-of-three AL Wild Card Series. Tampa Bay was limited to two extra-base hits and one run over 18 innings.
David Robertson replaced Dunning (1-0), who allowed three runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings. Lefty Brock Burke came on in the ninth to get the final three outs.
Pepiot (0-1) yielded six runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He was acquired in December — along with outfielder Jonny DeLuca — in the trade that sent Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot to the Dodgers. Monday’s start was the 11th of his career, and he showed glimpses of why Tampa Bay is excited to have him.
The right-hander settled after giving up two walks to begin the game, then falling behind 3-0 on Jung’s second homer of the season. Texas managed just three hits over the next five innings — Wyatt Lanford’s one-out single in the fourth, Corey Seager’s leadoff single in the sixth and Jung’s RBI single that made it 4-0.
Pepiot walked four and struck out three.
“That was a little bit of an odd outing,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “He really threw the ball well. You take away the walks and I think we’re all pretty pleased with the stat line.”
UP NEXT
Left-hander Andrew Heaney makes his season debut for the Rangers on Tuesday night in the second game of a three-game series. Right-hander Zach Eflin (0-1, 9.53 ERA) looks to rebound from an opening-day loss to Toronto for the Rays.
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