ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Seager and Adolis García homered early, Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven smooth innings in another series-clinching start and the Texas Rangers completed an AL Division Series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles with a 7-1 victory Tuesday night in Game 3.
The Rangers, whose loss at Seattle on the last day of the regular season made them a wild-card team instead of the AL West champion, have since won all five of their postseason games. They are going to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2011.
Baltimore won an AL-high 101 games and was never swept in a series during the regular season, but the AL East champions are done after a sweep at the most inopportune time. The Orioles have lost eight playoff games in a row over the past 10 seasons.
Seager hit a solo homer in the first inning, and García’s three-run shot made it 6-0 in the second to chase Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer.
It was the first Rangers playoff game at Globe Life Field, the stadium that was brand new in 2020 when it hosted much of MLB’s neutral postseason during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nathaniel Lowe also went deep for Texas, headed to the ALCS in Bruce Bochy’s first season as manager. Bochy guided San Francisco to three World Series titles from 2010-14.
Eovaldi, also in his first season with the Rangers, has won both of their series-clinching games this postseason. He returned in September after missing seven weeks because of a right forearm strain.
ASTROS 9, TWINS 1
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — José Abreu hit a three-run homer in a four-run first inning against Sonny Gray and piled on with a two-run shot in the ninth, powering Houston to a 2-1 lead over Minnesota in their AL Division Series.
Yordan Alvarez hit his fourth home run in three games and Alex Bregman had a homer and an RBI single for the defending World Series champions, who moved within one win of a seventh consecutive AL Championship Series appearance.
Cristian Javier struck out nine in five scoreless innings for the win.
Gray gave up two home runs in a game for the first time in two seasons with the Twins.
Game 4 is Wednesday at Target Field. A decisive fifth game would in Houston on Friday.
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