ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Mitch Garver #18 of the Texas Rangers lays on top of Adam Frazier #12 of the Baltimore Orioles in the second inning at Globe Life Field on April 04, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, Texas - Kyle Gibson had no problem with his second scheduled start for Baltimore getting moved up a day. The veteran right-hander had plenty of motivation after what led to that switch.
Ryan Mountcastle and Jorge Mateo homered early and Gibson pitched seven solid innings as the Orioles beat the Texas Rangers 7-2 on Tuesday night.
Gibson (2-0) was supposed to start the series finale Wednesday, but pitched a day earlier after Tuesday’s scheduled starter, Tyler Wells, threw five no-hit innings of relief in the series opener. Baltimore’s pitching plans got altered when starter Kyle Bradish took a liner off his right foot and exited with a bruise in the second inning Monday night.
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"I don’t think we can say enough what Ty Wells did for this team last night. ... That set us up to me not needing to do seven innings tonight," Gibson said. "I mean, I was thankful I was able to do it, but what a job by him. When we found out he was going in, they asked me if I could throw today. I said, it’s a no-brainer."
After signing a $10 million, one-year contract with the Orioles in free agency, the 35-year-old Gibson started their opener. Since that was last Thursday and there was a day off after that, the right-hander was working on normal rest. He threw 58 of 88 pitches for strikes and finished by striking out the side in the seventh. He fanned five overall without a walk.
"It was the start we needed," Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. "He had a really good slider and changeup, just pitched both sides of the plate, kept them off balance. ... Just a true veteran start."
Rangers' Josh Smith 'doing fine' after being hit in jaw with 89 mph pitch
Rangers utility man Josh Smith was back in the Rangers locker room on Tuesday after he was hit in the jaw with an 89 mph pitch on Monday night.
The Orioles have multiple homers in the first five games of a season for only the second time in team history. They matched the franchise record set by the 1994 team.
Adolis García and Nathaniel Lowe homered off Gibson for the Rangers, who have lost eight in a row to Baltimore.
Heaney (0-1) was the third starter to make his Rangers debut in the season's first week, following Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. The lefty, who signed a $25 million, two-year contract in the offseason, allowed seven runs and seven hits over 2 2/3 innings.
"Stuff-wise, it just wasn’t crisp," Heaney said. "Not how I wanted to start the season."
Mountcastle's opposite-field homer that ricocheted off the right-field foul pole traveled a projected 348 feet — the shortest of any of his 62 career home runs.
RANGERS RELIEF
Dane Dunning and Taylor Hearn combined for 6 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed only one hit after Heaney was pulled. That lowered the ERA for Rangers relievers to a major league-low 0.83, including a scoreless streak of 18 1/3 innings since opening day.
"Very, very encouraging in the early go here with what’s going on with the bullpen," manager Bruce Bochy said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Hyde said before the game that Bradish was sore and "pretty tender" and there was a possibility the right-hander could end up on the injured list. ... INF/DH Gunnar Henderson got a game off after a ball ricocheted off his hand when playing the field Monday night, but afterward said he felt good.
Rangers:
UP NEXT
The series finale Wednesday, when two-time NL Cy Young Award winner deGrom makes his second start for Rangers since signing a $185 million, five-year contract.