Texas defeated Baltimore 2-1 Saturday as Joc Pederson's two-run home run in the sixth inning was the only offense the Rangers needed.
Pederson finished 1-for-4 with both Texas runs batted in on his decisive blast. Shane Baz took the loss despite a dominant outing, going eight innings and allowing just three hits and two earned runs while striking out nine — the two runs coming on Pederson's sixth-inning shot.
Baltimore had taken a 1-0 lead after the second inning on Coby Mayo's RBI, but the offense went silent the rest of the way. Leody Taveras provided two of the Orioles' eight hits, going 2-for-4 with a double and the team's lone run scored, while Gunnar Henderson, Pete Alonso, and Jackson Holliday combined to go 0-for-11.
Texas used four relievers behind Nathan Eovaldi, with Jacob Latz earning the save after throwing two scoreless innings and striking out three. The Rangers improved to two wins in the three-game series with Sunday's finale still to come.