The one hit New York managed after Kumar Rocker left the game came in the seventh inning, and it arrived with no sequel. Brett Baty singled against Tyler Alexander, then Marcus Semien and A.J. Ewing flew out. Two more scoreless innings followed, as Texas retired all eight Mets who batted after Baty’s hit.
That quiet stretch was the real shape of the Texas Rangers’ 3-1 victory over the Mets on Thursday afternoon. Four different relievers took a turn protecting a small lead, and none passed a problem to the next. Robert Garcia, Alexander, Chase Silseth and Jordan Montgomery each worked a scoreless inning. They allowed one hit, issued no walks and struck out three over 52 pitches.
Garcia handled the sixth immediately after Rocker completed five innings. The assignment was formidable in name, if not in result: Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette. Garcia retired Lindor on a sharp flyout to left, Soto on a popup to catcher Elias Díaz and Bichette on a flyout to center.
Ten pitches, three outs, no traffic. That clean bridge kept Texas’ 2-1 lead intact, and Corey Seager’s home run in the bottom of the inning supplied the extra run before the Mets could test the next reliever.
Alexander’s seventh was a different sort of useful. Carson Benge, who had driven in New York’s only run in the first inning, flew out to begin the frame. Baty then singled, giving the Mets their lone hit against the relief quartet. Alexander did not compound it: Semien and Ewing followed with flyouts, and the inning ended with the Rangers still holding a 3-1 advantage.
The lack of strikeouts from Garcia and Alexander is worth noting because bullpen success is often packaged as a radar-gun event. Their six combined outs came without a punchout. The outs were still outs, and the only ball that became a hit was followed by a complete refusal to let the inning grow.
New York put the ball in the air; Texas recorded the outs. It was not dramatic, which is usually a compliment when a reliever is protecting a lead.
Silseth added two strikeouts in the eighth. He struck out Luis Torrens and Nick Morabito to open the eighth, then Francisco Lindor flew out to center. Silseth used 14 pitches, nine for strikes, and the Mets never put a runner aboard. Two strikeouts mattered; the third out still required a ball in play.
Montgomery finished the job in the ninth with eight pitches. Soto grounded out to third, Bichette grounded out to shortstop and Benge struck out swinging. New York had no chance to put a runner in motion or bring the tying run to the plate with somebody aboard. Montgomery retired each hitter before the next arrived.
