NEW YORK — Winning shut ballgames has been a problem for the Texas Rangers all season, however that’s two in a row they’ve taken at Citi Field.

Mitch Garver homered to snap a scoreless tie within the seventh inning and Texas, lastly rising from an premature droop, beat the New York Mets 2-1 on Tuesday night time.

“Really encouraging. We’ve lost a lot of these games,” supervisor Bruce Bochy stated. “The guys played crisp baseball, and to find a way to win these games is going to be critical for us down the stretch here. So this has been good for them I think, these two games.”

Ezequiel Duran had an RBI single and Andrew Heaney rebounded from a tough stretch with seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 shutout innings for the Rangers, who started the day a recreation behind AL West-leading Seattle. They’ve gained three of 4 following a season-worst eight-game slide that helped drop them out of first place for the primary time since early April.

Texas took a sequence from the Mets for the primary time and improved to 11-18 in one-run video games.

“This one was good for us. We had to win without the three-run homer, without the crooked number really,” Garver stated.

PHOTOS: Garver homers, Heaney throws shutout ball within the Rangers' 2-1 win over the Mets

Chris Stratton (2-1) entered with two on within the sixth and retired cleanup hitter Pete Alonso on a foul popup earlier than placing out rookie slugger Francisco Álvarez. It was Stratton’s first win for Texas since being acquired from St. Louis on July 30 within the commerce that additionally netted starter Jordan Montgomery.

Brock Burke fanned two in a one-hit seventh and Will Smith labored an ideal eighth, combining with first baseman Nathaniel Lowe for a troublesome glove-to-glove flip on Jeff McNeil’s drag bunt.

“I got extremely lucky,” Smith stated with a smile. “That might have been my first glove flip.”

Aroldis Chapman allowed a two-out homer to rookie Mark Vientos within the ninth earlier than ending for his fourth save this season and second with Texas since being obtained from Kansas City in late June.

“Our whole bullpen did a great job,” Garver stated.

On an 0-2 rely, Vientos despatched a 100 mph fastball to right-center for New York’s solely extra-base hit, stopping the Mets from getting shut out for the fifteenth time this 12 months.

The last-place Mets (60-73) wasted six scoreless innings from José Quintana and misplaced for the sixth time in seven video games, equaling their season low at 13 video games beneath .500.

“He deserved better. He was really sharp,” supervisor Buck Showalter stated. “The top part of the order’s trying sometimes to do too much because we’ve been struggling.”

Leading off the seventh, Garver drove the second pitch from reliever Drew Smith (4-5) to middle subject for his thirteenth dwelling run of the season.

“It felt good. I was ready to hit. Felt confident with my approach and got something I could handle,” stated Garver, who has homered in 5 of his previous 10 video games. “I feel like I’m reaching back to my potential of the player that I believe I can be, the player I was a few years ago. It’s still in there. It’s not gone. It’s just a matter of getting back out there and making it happen.”

Duran added an RBI single off Phil Bickford within the ninth to make it 2-0.

“I’d love to be more consistent. It is frustrating, because I know how good I can be,” Heaney stated. “We’ve got to win every game. That’s how we view it.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: A scheduled bullpen session for All-Star pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (proper forearm pressure) was pushed again a day to Wednesday. Eovaldi has been sidelined since his July 18 begin in opposition to Tampa Bay. … All-Star catcher Jonah Heim was rested in favor of light-hitting backup Austin Hedges, who entered 4 for six with a stroll in opposition to Quintana. Hedges struck out each occasions up versus the left-hander. Heim pinch-hit for Hedges within the seventh and struck out, then remained within the recreation behind the plate. … Touted outfield prospect Evan Carter was promoted to Triple-A Round Rock, on his twenty first birthday.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Lowe prolonged his hitting streak to 11 video games together with his thirty seventh double, most within the American League.

ROSTER MOVES

Mets OF Abraham Almonte and LHP Adam Kolarek cleared waivers and had been despatched outright to Triple-A Syracuse. Kolarek selected to develop into a free agent as an alternative.

UP NEXT

RHP Dane Dunning (9-6, 3.36 ERA) begins Wednesday night time as Texas tries for a three-game sweep. Dunning has misplaced his previous two begins and is 1-5 with a 4.65 ERA in his final 9. He has by no means confronted the Mets, who plan to recall RHP Denyi Reyes (0-2, 7.50) from Syracuse to start out.

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