Jorge Mateo homered twice and drove in five runs as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Texas Rangers 8-2 on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas.
Jordan Lyles tossed 6 1/3 innings, allowing just one run.
Mateo, a shortstop batting in the No. 9 spot, drilled a three-run home run during Baltimore’s five-run third inning and added his second home run with a two-run shot in the ninth inning. He had only three previous games this season with multiple runs batted in — topped by a pair of three-RBI efforts.
Adley Rutschman and Anthony Santander each had two hits, including an RBI double, as the Orioles won for the second time in two nights to begin the three-game series. Cedric Mullins also had two hits.
Rangers catcher Meibrys Viloria had three hits, including a home run to lead off the ninth. Marcus Semien had two hits, including a two-out, run-scoring single in the fifth inning, and Nathaniel Lowe also provided two hits.
Texas starter Spencer Howard (2-3) gave up six runs in four innings as the Rangers lost for the eighth time in 13 games since the All-Star break.
Lyles (8-8), who is 4-1 since the end of June, gave up seven hits and one walk while striking out seven. He eclipsed the 100-strikeout mark for the second time in his 12-year career, with his 2021 total of 146 within reach. He now has 104 strikeouts this year.
Dillon Tate, Nick Vespi and Felix Bautista worked in relief to contribute to the combined 10-hitter.
The Orioles traded closer Jorge Lopez to the Minnesota Twins earlier in the day, but they didn’t need any clutch relief pitching in this game.
Mateo’s ninth home run of the season opened the scoring, but the Orioles weren’t finished in the third. Rutschman’s ground-rule double provided the next run and Ryan Mountcastle capped the inning’s scoring with a sacrifice fly.
Santander’s double in the fifth pushed the lead to 6-0.
–Field Level Media