Jack Leiter allowed one hit over five scoreless innings and four relievers combined for four scoreless innings to lead the visiting Texas Rangers to their second straight 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
Leiter (2-0) allowed just one hit and struck out six before the right-hander was pulled after just 70 pitches as a precaution with a finger blister on his pitching hand. Luke Jackson pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save as Elly De La Cruz made the game’s last out for the second straight game.
Hunter Greene (0-1) nearly matched Leiter out for out, allowing just one run on three hits, throwing 94 pitches through seven innings, striking out eight and walking one. Greene picked up his 500th career strikeout when he fanned Jake Burger to open the seventh.
The Rangers broke through against Greene in the fourth when Joc Pederson opened with a soft single over a leaping De La Cruz. After Greene retired the next two batters, Josh Smith doubled to left-center to easily score Pederson and give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
For the third time in four games, the Reds were held without a baserunner through the first three innings as Leiter retired the side in order three straight times.
TJ Friedl and Matt McLain went down to start the fourth before De La Cruz laced a line drive double off the base of the left field fence. He moved to third on a stolen base but was stranded there when Leiter struck out Gavin Lux to end the frame.
Leiter then retired the side in order in the fifth before leaving the game.
The Reds had another chance in the seventh when McLain reached on Ezequiel Duran’s errant throw on a grounder to third. Duran’s throw was high and drew the first baseman Burger off the bag. Robert Garcia relieved Jacob Webb and worked out of the inning by striking out De La Cruz and Lux before Jeimer Candelario grounded out to short.
The game was played in a stiff wind, as gusts of 20-25 mph circulated in the ballpark.
