This off-season, Leody Taveras stayed in DFW to work on his game after a down year in the 2024 season.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Taveras worked a lot on his small ball game. Despite it sounding cliche for a team that hasn’t really bunted or stolen bases since he took over but it was a serious thing.

On Friday night, Taveras used his small ball skills to spark a four-run third inning in a 5-2 Rangers win over Tampa Bay.

After Kyle Higashioka opened the scoring with an RBI double, Taveras ripped a single up the middle to score him and make it a 2-0 game.

On the very next pitch, Taveras swiped second and then took third, putting himself into position to be able to score on a base hit from Marcus Semien.

For the Rangers, the big inning was a breath of fresh air after having scored just two runs in two victories over the Reds last series.

Once again, it was the pitching that carried Texas to victory as Tyler Mahle fired five scoreless frames earning his first MLB win in two years and bouncing back from his first outing.

After a much-needed off day, the Rangers’ bullpen allowed just two runs, both by Shawn Armstrong.

Luke Jackson earned his fourth save of the season, and the Rangers earned their sixth win and third consecutive.

Jacob deGrom returns to the mound tomorrow as the Rangers look for a series win at 6:05 from Globe Life Field.