Houston Astros at Texas Rangers

MacKenzie Gore wanted the ball. It was as simple as that. When ace Jacob deGrom’s final start of the first half of the season had to be delayed due to a mild left glute strain, the Rangers were facing a potential bullpen game against the in-state-rival Astros in the series finale. Instead of challenging an already overworked bullpen in an important game, Gore stepped up on short rest and offered to start. “He came in and said, ‘I want the ball. I'm ready,’” manager Skip Schumaker said. “That was the conversation. Obviously, I can't just say yes. There's some people that I have to make sure that it’s OK that I do give him the ball today. But everyone felt good about his health. As long as that all checked out, we were good to go. “He's an unbelievable teammate, competitor. He always wants the ball. He's a 10 out of 10 competitor, and I think after the last start too, I think he really wants this start to go into the second half in a positive direction.” Gore ultimately allowed one run -- a Jose Altuve solo shot -- in four strong innings to put the Rangers pitching staff on his back and set up Brandon Nimmo to hit a walk-off single in a [6-5 win over the Astros