Texas right-hander Jon Gray found his rhythm after conceding an early run, delivering a series of strong performances as he retired the final 15 batters he faced and pitched into the eighth inning. The Rangers secured a 3-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

Gray (5-4) struck out five batters and issued no walks, throwing 63 of his 80 pitches for strikes over his 7⅔ innings. 

This outing marked the deepest he had pitched into a game since April 30 and came just four days after he threw a scoreless inning in relief against Baltimore. His performance was a notable improvement after two challenging starts in late June where he allowed at least eight runs.

“It’s been a long time since I felt that,” Gray reflected. “I’ve been searching for that for a while. It does feel really good, and I think it’s something that’s going to continue to get better. I really do.”

Rangers’ manager Bruce Bochy commented on Gray’s performance, noting that sometimes a pitcher needs a break to reset. 

“Sometimes a guy needs a reset … and maybe just needs a break,” Bochy said. “It worked out well for him, somewhat of a break, just freshen the arm up a little bit. He just went out there with a sense of determination that you like.”

Following Andrew Vaughn’s RBI single with two outs in the third inning, the White Sox failed to get another batter on base against Gray. 

The final out was secured when pinch-hitter Tommy Pham was retired in the eighth inning, thanks to an impressive backhanded stop and throw by shortstop Jonathan Ornelas. Gray praised the play, saying, “That was unbelievable. 

It really shocked me. I just thought that there was no chance at that one. Really fired me up.”

The White Sox (27-76) are currently on a nine-game losing streak and have lost 15 of their last 18 games. They are among only the 12 teams in MLB history to have 76 losses in their first 103 games, the first team to do so since the 1979 Oakland Athletics.

All-Star closer Kirby Yates, who had given up a home run in the ninth inning during the series opener, secured the final two outs for his 18th save in as many chances. The ninth inning saw Andrew Benintendi lead off with a homer off Josh Sborz.

The Rangers took control of the game early with two runs in the first inning against Garrett Crochet, an All-Star lefty and AL strikeout leader. Robbie Grossman and Josh Smith contributed back-to-back singles, with Adolis García adding an RBI single. 

A double steal, including Smith swiping home, gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead. Smith later added an RBI double in the eighth inning.

Crochet, who is a potential trade target, has accumulated 157 strikeouts this season after fanning seven in four innings. 

The 25-year-old, a converted reliever, has already logged a career-high 113⅓ innings in 21 starts. The White Sox have limited him to 10 innings in his three July starts, plus a scoreless inning in the All-Star Game a week ago.