The game was decided in the first inning. Los Angeles scored four runs before Texas recorded an out, building a lead that proved just enough in a 9-6 victory at Angel Stadium.
Zach Neto led the early assault, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and two RBI. He opened the scoring with a solo shot to left field, then watched Meckler follow with a three-run homer that scored Mike Trout and Jorge Soler. Neto added another homer in the eighth inning, extending the Angels' lead to 8-5.
The Rangers mounted a steady comeback against starter Grayson Rodriguez. Brandon Nimmo homered in the fourth and doubled home a run in the seventh, finishing 2-for-5 with two RBI. Evan Carter's triple in the fourth scored two runs, cutting the deficit to 6-3. Texas pulled within one run at 6-5 before Oswald Peraza answered with a solo homer in the seventh.
Jacob deGrom absorbed the loss, allowing six runs over three innings in his shortest outing of the season. His ERA stands at 3.86. Rodriguez earned his first win of the season despite allowing four runs over 5.2 innings, carrying a 10.61 ERA.
Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 17-34. Texas saw its two-game winning streak end, falling to 24-25. Nimmo sits three doubles away from 200 career doubles, while deGrom remains one win shy of 100 career victories.