The Rangers’ fifth-inning rally did the difficult part and then stopped before doing the valuable part. Texas erased a 2-0 deficit against the New York Mets on Wednesday night at Globe Life Field, but with one out and the bases loaded, it came away with only a tie instead of a lead.
That distinction sat at the center of the 7-2 loss. This was not a game that vanished immediately after Juan Soto’s two-run homer. Texas recovered, assembled its clearest scoring chance and kept the game level for a while. It simply could not turn that opening into a larger inning, and no comparable opportunity arrived afterward.
The fifth inning had room for more
Brandon Nimmo started the bottom of the fifth with a single. Ezequiel Duran’s groundout moved Nimmo to second, and Jake Burger followed with a single that scored him. Texas had cut New York’s advantage to 2-1.
Nicky Lopez then singled, putting runners at first and second. Danny Jansen’s walk was confirmed after a challenge, loading the bases with one out. That was the inning’s pivotal decision point—not because any particular result was guaranteed, but because Texas had created its best combination of runners and outs all night.
The Rangers could have taken the lead with a hit, though the outcome would still have depended on where the ball went and how the runners advanced. A sacrifice fly could have tied the game; a walk would have forced in the tying run and kept the bases loaded. Instead, Evan Carter grounded into a force play.
Marcus Semien fielded the ball and started the sequence to Francisco Lindor at second, where Jansen was retired. Burger scored, Lopez moved to third and Carter reached first. The Rangers had tied the game, but they had also used one of their two remaining outs without bringing home more than the runner forced in by the play.
That left runners at first and third with two outs. Wyatt Langford then popped out to Lindor, ending the inning. The 2-2 score represented a genuine recovery from Soto’s third-inning homer.
It also marked the end of Texas’ best chance to move in front. Baseball is not obliged to reward a rally merely because it has arranged all three runners on base, and this one left the biggest opportunity with one run in it.
The game stayed available, but Texas did not press again
The missed chance did not immediately decide anything. Nolan McLean, who had surrendered the two fifth-inning runs, recovered by working a scoreless sixth and seventh. He completed seven innings with three hits allowed, two earned runs, five strikeouts and one walk on 82 pitches.
That mattered because the Rangers remained within striking distance. New York did not score in the sixth or seventh, and Texas had a level game to work with. But the Rangers could not create a second wave of pressure.
