The last-place club in the West division, the Rangers rose up to beat the East division-leading Orioles in both games of a twi-night doubleheader, 2-1 and 3-1. In the opener, the Rangers scored both their runs in the first inning. Dave Nelson, Toby Harrah and Don Mincher hit singles for the initial tally and the second run counted while Dick Billings was grounding into a double play. Rich Hand, who turned in his first complete game of the season and only the fifth to the credit of the Rangers' staff, allowed the Orioles' lone run on a homer by Bobby Grich in the second.

Grich also scored the Orioles' run in the nightcap, hitting a single in the second inning, taking third on a single by Brooks Robinson and crossing the plate on a sacrifice fly by Paul Blair. The Rangers then trailed until the eighth when Hal King and Joe Lovitto singled and Lenny Randle smashed a homer. [The Sporting News]



Texas Rangers 2, Baltimore Orioles 1 (Game 1)
Game Played on Saturday, July      8, 1972 (Night game) at Memorial Stadium
Rangers      2  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   2  7  0
Orioles      0  1  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   1  7  0


Rangers              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Orioles              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Nelson 3b             4   1   3   0     0   0   .256      Rettenmund rf         4   0   0   0     1   0   .254
Harrah ss             4   1   1   0     0   1   .264      Blair cf              5   0   1   0     0   2   .237
Mincher 1b            3   0   2   1     1   0   .205      Powell 1b             3   0   1   0     0   0   .194
  Maddox pr,lf        0   0   0   0     0   0   .221      Baylor lf             4   0   0   0     0   1   .252
Billings lf           3   0   1   0     0   0   .295      Robinson 3b           4   0   1   0     0   0   .254
  Jones 1b            0   0   0   0     0   0   .169      Grich 2b              4   1   2   1     0   1   .277
King c                4   0   0   0     0   2   .161      Oates c               3   0   1   0     1   0   .318
Ford rf               4   0   0   0     0   1   .257      Belanger ss           2   0   0   0     1   1   .176
Lovitto cf            3   0   0   0     0   1   .184      Dobson p              3   0   1   0     0   2   .130
Kubiak 2b             3   0   0   0     0   1   .239        Buford ph           0   0   0   0     1   0   .210
Hand p                3   0   0   0     0   1   .095

Totals               31   2   7   1     1   7             Totals               32   1   7   1     4   7

Time of Game: 2:21
Left on Base: Rangers 4, Orioles 10
DP: Rangers 0, Orioles 2
Doubles: Grich (7)
Home Runs: Grich (6)
Stolen Bases: Nelson (22)
Caught Stealing: Billings (3)
Sacrifice Hits: Billings (1), Powell (1), Belanger (3)
GIDP: Billings (4)


Rangers                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Hand W(6-6)             9     7   1   1   4   7   1  38   2.97
Totals                  9     7   1   1   4   7   1  38

Orioles                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Dobson L(10-8)          9     7   2   2   1   7   0  33   2.06
Totals                  9     7   2   2   1   7   0  33

Umpires: HP - Larry Barnett, 1B - Dave Phillips, 2B - Nestor Chylak, 3B - Jim Evans


RANGERS 1ST: Nelson singled to left; Harrah singled to right
[Nelson to third]; Mincher singled to center [Nelson scored,
Harrah to third]; Billings grounded into a double play (second
to shortstop to first) [Harrah scored, Mincher out at second];
King struck out; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 0.

ORIOLES 1ST: Rettenmund flied out to center; Blair flied out to
right; Powell singled to right; Baylor flied out to center; 0 R,
1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 0.

RANGERS 2ND: Ford popped to first in foul territory; Lovitto was
called out on strikes; Kubiak was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 0.

ORIOLES 2ND: Robinson flied out to right; Grich homered; Oates
grounded out (shortstop to first); Belanger was called out on
strikes; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 1.

RANGERS 3RD: Hand grounded out (shortstop to first); On a bunt
Nelson singled; Harrah forced Nelson (second unassisted);
Mincher singled to right [Harrah to third]; Billings flied out
to right; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 1.

ORIOLES 3RD: Dobson struck out; Rettenmund walked; Blair was
called out on strikes; Powell grounded out (second to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 1.

RANGERS 4TH: King made an out to shortstop; Ford struck out;
Lovitto grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Rangers 2, Orioles 1.

ORIOLES 4TH: Baylor struck out; Robinson singled to center;
Grich flied out to right; Oates singled to center [Robinson to
second]; Belanger forced Oates (second to shortstop); 0 R, 2 H,
0 E, 2 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 1.

RANGERS 5TH: Kubiak popped to third in foul territory; Hand
struck out; Nelson singled to shortstop; Nelson stole second;
Harrah grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Rangers 2, Orioles 1.

ORIOLES 5TH: Dobson was called out on strikes; Rettenmund flied
out to center; Blair struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers
2, Orioles 1.

RANGERS 6TH: Mincher flied out to left; Billings singled to
center; King struck out while Billings was caught stealing
second (catcher to shortstop); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 2,
Orioles 1.

ORIOLES 6TH: Powell made an out to shortstop; Baylor made an out
to second; Robinson grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 1.

RANGERS 7TH: Ford grounded out (third to first); Lovitto
grounded out (second to first); Kubiak grounded out (first
unassisted); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 1.

ORIOLES 7TH: Grich struck out; Oates grounded out (pitcher to
first); Belanger walked; Dobson singled to center [Belanger to
second]; Rettenmund flied out to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Rangers 2, Orioles 1.

RANGERS 8TH: Hand flied to left in foul territory; Nelson
grounded out (pitcher to first); Harrah was called out on
strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 1.

ORIOLES 8TH: Blair singled to right; Powell out on a sacrifice
bunt (pitcher to first) [Blair to second]; Baylor flied out to
right [Blair to third]; Robinson grounded out (first
unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 1.

RANGERS 9TH: Mincher walked; MADDOX RAN FOR MINCHER; Billings
out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second) [Maddox to second];
King grounded out (first to pitcher) [Maddox to third]; Ford
grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Rangers
2, Orioles 1.

ORIOLES 9TH: MADDOX STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING LF); JONES REPLACED
BILLINGS (PLAYING 1B); Grich doubled; Oates walked; Belanger out
on a sacrifice bunt (third to second) [Grich to third, Oates to
second]; BUFORD BATTED FOR DOBSON; Buford was walked
intentionally; Rettenmund made an out to first; Blair flied out
to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Rangers 2, Orioles 1.