Rookie Michael Helman hit a two-run home run and stole a homer at the fence to help the surging Texas Rangers to a come-from-behind 5-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday in the second of a key three-game interleague series in Arlington, Texas.
Helman, who had a grand slam and a run-scoring double on Monday, has knocked in seven of the Rangers’ 10 runs in first two games of the series, both wins by Texas as it moved to within 2 1/2 games of slumping Houston in the American League West race.
The Rangers (76-70) have now won their second straight series against a division-leading opponent after taking two of three from the Astros last weekend.
Hoby Milner (3-4), the second of six Texas pitchers, worked a scoreless inning to garner the victory, with Shawn Armstrong allowing a home run in the ninth before earning his eighth save of the year.
Reliever Aaron Ashby (3-2) allowed two runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings to absorb the loss for Milwaukee (89-57). The Brewers, who are still in first place by 6 1/2 games over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central, outhit Texas 11-7 as Jackson Chourio led the way with three hits.
The Rangers scratched out a run off Brewers’ starter Chad Patrick in the bottom of the second, as Cody Freeman’s single brought home Josh Jung, who had walked and moved the second on a single by Alejandro Osuna.
Milwaukee jumped to the lead in the fifth inning. Joey Ortiz had a one-out single after which Helman leaped at the wall in center field to rob Brice Turang of a home run. Ortiz advanced to third on a ground-rule double by Chourio and scored on a single by Christian Yelich, with Chourio moving to third.
Yelich then stole second base before both he and Chourio scampered home on a single by William Contreras that gave the Brewers a 3-1 lead and chased Texas starter Jack Leiter.
The Rangers responded in the bottom of the frame, as Helman’s second homer in as many nights also plated Jonah Heim, who had walked, and tied the game at 3-3.
Josh Smith kept the rally going with a single and scored on a triple into the right-center gap by Wyatt Langford. Langford added to the lead when he scored on a double by pinch hitter Kyle Higashioka.
Jake Bauers hit a 443-foot home run to center field in the ninth to bring the Brewers to within a run but that’s as close as they would get.
