BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 26: Andy Ibanez #77 of the Texas Rangers celebrates after hitting a two RBI home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 26, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Phot …
BALTIMORE (AP) - Andy Ibanez hit a two-run homer and the Texas Rangers avoided their 100th loss for at least a day by beating the Baltimore Orioles 7-4 Sunday for a four-game split.
Adolis Garcia had two hits and drove in a run for Texas. He set a club rookie record with 256 total bases.
Anthony Santander and Pedro Severino homered for the Orioles, who finished 4-3 against the Rangers and won their first season series against them since 2017. Baltimore dropped to an AL-worst 50-106, competing with Arizona for the top pick in next year's amateur draft, and is 176-364 over the last four seasons.
Rangers reliever Jharel Cotton (2-0) allowed one hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings. After Severino hit a two-run homer off Kolby Allard in the ninth and walked Jahmai Jones with two outs, Joe Barlow struck our Ryan McKenna for his ninth save in 10 chances.
Ibanez gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the fourth with a two-run homer off left-hander John Means (6-8), who allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings with eight strikeouts. He threw 108 pitches, his second-most of the season.
Santander's two-run homer tied the score in the bottom half off Dane Dunning, making his fourth appearance and second start since being reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list on Sept. 10. Dunning allowed two runs and a career-high five walks over 4 2/3 innings.
Texas retook the lead in the fifth on an RBI double by Garcia hit a go-ahead double in the fifth. Leody Taveras led off the seventh with a single off Eric Hanhold, stole second, and scored on Isiah Kiner-Falefa's single.
Willie Calhoun greeted Fernando Abad with a two-run triple with two outs in the eighth and scored on Charlie Culberson's single.
Baltimore's Austin Hays was 0 for 3 with a walk, ending an 11-game hitting streak.
ROOKIE WATCH
Garcia is the eighth rookie in MLB history to have at least 30 homers, 80 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases in a single season. The first seven players to accomplish that feat wwon Rookie of the Year awards.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Orioles: RHP Chris Ellis left the game Saturday night with shoulder soreness. Ellis also had his start pushed back from Tuesday due to arm fatigue. Manager Brandon Hyde said Ellis could be shut down for the season. ... OF Cedric Mullins was held out of the lineup for a second consecutive day with hamstring tightness, but hit into a forceout as a pinch-hitter in the seventh.
UP NEXT
Rangers: RHP A.J. Alexy (2-1, 5.00 ERA) is to start Tuesday at home against the Angels. Alexy has allowed 10 runs and 10 walks with a 12.86 ERA over his last two outings (7 innings).
Orioles: LHP Bruce Zimmermann (4-4, 4.83 ERA) gets the start Tuesday against the Red Sox. Zimmermann hasn't pitched for the Orioles since June 13 because of an ankle injury.