Jake Burger had the answer Texas needed, and Jacob deGrom made sure one run was almost enough. Almost.
The Texas Rangers edged the Seattle Mariners 2-1 on Monday night at Globe Life Field, with Burger’s tie-breaking RBI double in the sixth inning proving to be the decisive blow. It wasn’t pretty. But after dropping four straight, the Rangers would take it — and then some.
Burger Breaks the Tie
The game turned on a single swing in the sixth. With Corey Seager on base and the score knotted at one, Burger roped a double into the gap to score him, giving Texas the lead it wouldn’t surrender. It was the kind of clutch, understated moment that doesn’t always make highlight reels but absolutely wins baseball games. The Rangers, now 4-5 on the young season, snapped a four-game skid and picked up their first home win in four tries, according to ESPN.
deGrom Does What deGrom Does
Then there’s the other story of the night — a quieter one, maybe, but arguably the more significant. Jacob deGrom made his 250th career start on Monday, and he looked every bit like the pitcher who’s tormented lineups for over a decade. Five innings. One hit. Six strikeouts. One walk. Seventy-eight pitches. The lone blemish? A solo shot off the bat of Cal Raleigh in the first inning — which, as far as blemishes go, is pretty forgivable.
Still, the performance was a reminder that when deGrom is healthy and locked in, he doesn’t need to be perfect. He just needs to be himself.
Raleigh’s Blast Wasn’t Enough
Credit where it’s due: Raleigh’s homer was an absolute missile. His first of the 2026 season came after a grinding 12-pitch at-bat — the kind of at-bat that wears a pitcher down even when he wins it. He didn’t win it. Raleigh launched the ball 417 feet at an exit velocity of 107.8 mph and a launch angle of 29 degrees, captured on MLB’s official video. It was the sort of home run that makes fans in the seats do that slow head-turn as they watch it disappear.
But one swing doesn’t win a ballgame. And for Seattle, that’s been the problem all week.
A Rough Stretch for Seattle
How bad has it gotten for the Mariners? They’ve now lost three straight and five of their last six, dropping to 4-6 on the season. The offense — never exactly a juggernaut — has scuffled badly during this stretch, managing just a single run on Monday against a Rangers staff that, outside of deGrom, isn’t exactly striking fear into opposing lineups right now. Local coverage has noted the mounting frustration in Seattle as the bats continue to go quiet at the worst possible moments.
That’s the catch with a team built around pitching and defense: when the offense doesn’t show up, there’s no margin for error. And right now, Seattle’s margin has all but disappeared.
What It Means Going Forward
For Texas, Monday’s win is modest in the grand scheme — one game, early April, no one’s panicking yet. But streaks have a way of feeding on themselves in baseball, and stopping a four-game slide before it becomes six or seven matters. The Rangers improved to 4-5 and will look to build on this one. DeGrom’s outing, meanwhile, suggests the veteran right-hander may be rounding into form at exactly the right time.
Seattle heads into Tuesday needing to find something offensively — because Raleigh can’t carry this team alone, no matter how hard he hits the ball.
