Instant Replay: Rangers 8, Phillies 4

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ARLINGTON, Tex. — The Phillies completed a miserable stay in Texas with an 8-4 loss to the Texas Rangers on Thursday afternoon.
 
The Rangers swept the three-game series by a combined score of 22-8. The Phillies are 0-5 in interleague play this season. They were also swept by Seattle.
 
The Rangers have won nine in a row. That's the longest winning streak in the majors this season.

The Phils have lost 11 of their last 13 road games to fall to 6-16 on the road. They are 14-24 overall and have lost 15 of their last 18.

Starting pitching report
Rookie right-hander Nick Pivetta gave up just a run in 4 2/3 innings, but a high pitch count prevented him from going deeper into the game. He walked four for the second straight start.
 
Pivetta was at 90 pitches through four innings, but with a 2-0 lead, manager Pete Mackanin stuck with Pivetta for the fifth inning so he could go for his first big-league win.
 
Pivetta struck out the first batter then issued a one-out walk. Mackanin lifted him after a strikeout of Elvis Andrus. The manager went to lefty Joely Rodriguez because Nomar Mazara was hitting just .111 against lefties. Rodriguez did not respond and took the loss.
 
Pivetta has a 5.12 ERA in four starts with the big club. His next start will come at Triple A, as Aaron Nola is set to return from the disabled list Sunday. Pivetta was optioned to Lehigh Valley after the game.
 
Texas lefty Martin Perez was impressive. He pitched seven walk-free innings and struck out eight. He allowed five hits and two runs.
 
The Rangers got seven innings from their starting pitcher in all three games in the series. Phillies starters went six, four and 4 2/3 innings in the three games, respectively.
 
Bullpen report
Rodriguez came in with two outs in the fifth and a two-run lead. He could not protect the lead. The first four batters he faced reached base on a walk, two singles and a three-run homer. The homer was the 27th allowed by the Phillies' bullpen this season, the most in baseball.
 
In all, Rodriguez allowed seven runs in just two-thirds of an inning. He gave up six hits and walked two.
 
At the plate
Mackanin dropped slumping Maikel Franco to seventh in the batting order, the lowest he'd hit since his rookie season. Franco responded with a well-struck sacrifice fly to dead center and a home run to right. He drove in the Phillies' first two runs.

The Phillies entered the ninth down, 8-2. Aaron Altherr led off with a single and Tommy Joseph homered against Jeremy Jeffress to make it a four-run game.

Odubel Herrera went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He is hitless in his last 11 at-bats and is just 3 for 23 through six games on the road trip, dropping him to .242.
 
Ryan Rua had the big hit for the Rangers, a three-run homer against Rodriguez to highlight Texas' five-run fifth.
 
Health check
Michael Saunders left the game with left groin tightness.
 
Up next
The Phillies open a three-game series against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Friday night. Here are the pitching matchups:
 
Friday night — RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-1, 3.71) vs. RHP Trevor Williams (2-2, 6.41)
 
Saturday afternoon — RHP Vince Velasquez (2-3, 5.63) vs. RHP Ivan Nova (3-3, 2.48)
 
Sunday afternoon — RHP Aaron Nola (2-0, 5.40) vs. RHP Chad Kuhl (0-1, 6.69)

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