Texas defeated Baltimore 2-1 on Friday night as Joc Pederson's two-run home run 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 (56-60) 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 (58-58) used four relievers behind Nathan Eovaldi, with Jacob Latz earning the save after throwing two scoreless innings and striking out three. The Rangers maintained their AL wild-card spot, while the Orioles fell two games of them in the race for the third and final position.