By Samantha Stephensen
The Texas Rangers move within a win of an American League Division Series matchup against Baltimore.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.- Tampa Bay Rays, sporting throwback 1998 Devil Rays jerseys, lost thei sixth straight postseason game. The Rays have reached the postseason for five straight seasons but have only scored one run in their last three playoff loses..
Jordan Montgomery allowed six hits across seven innings, as the Rangers beat the extra sloppy Tamp Rays 4-0 Tuesday in their American League Wild Card Series opener.
Montgomery, acquired from the Cardinals at the trade deadline, retired 14 of the final 16 batters he faced. He struck out pinch hitter Junior Caminero, to finish his afternoon with five strikeouts and no walks.
Former New York Yankee Aroldis Chapman pitched a perfect eighth inning and José Leclerc worked around a walk in the ninth to finish a six hit shutout, the Rangers’ first postseason shutout since the 2011 World Series.
Corey Seager and Josh Jung drove in runs for Texas. The Rangers received gifts of four errors by the Rays.
Montgomery, who has past postseason experience with the Yankees and the Cardinals, was 2-0 with a 0.67 ERA over his final four starts.
Tyler Glasnow yielded a sacrifice fly to Jung in the second inning, and a wild pitch allowed Texas to score its second run after the Rangers loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth.
Glasnow walked the first two batters he faced in the sixth and releif pitcher Chris Devenski gave up a run-scoring single to Seager. A second run scored on the play on a wild throw by centerfielder Jose Siri.
Glasnow allowed four runs and six hits in five innings with eight strikeouts and five walks.
