DENVER (AP) — Kumar Rocker tossed a career-high 7 2/3 innings, Brandon Nimmo homered, and the Texas Rangers beat the Colorado Rockies 10-0 on Tuesday night.
Ezequiel Duran continued his hot start to the series with two doubles and a single, giving the Texas shortstop six hits in the first two games. Joc Pederson had four of the Rangers' season-high 16 hits.
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Texas Rangers' Jake Burger connects for an RBI single off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Tanner Gordon in the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies' Hunter Goodman strikes out against Texas Rangers starting pitcher Tyler Alexander in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Texas Rangers' Joc Pederson reacts after being put out at second base while trying to stretch a single into a double in the third inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Texas Rangers' Brandon Nimmo gestures as he crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Tanner Gordon in the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Rocker (2-4) entered in the second inning and held Colorado down while his offense built a lead. Troy Johnston and Tyler Freeman had consecutive one-out singles in the second but Rocker retired 14 of the next 15. He left after hitting Ezequiel Tovar with two outs in the ninth.
The third overall pick in the 2022 draft, Rocker fanned seven on a career-high 103 pitches. He hasn’t allowed a run in 13 1/3 innings.
Colorado center fielder Brenton Doyle left the game in the middle of the first inning when he was injured making a diving attempt on Duran’s double. He was replaced by Freeman, who had one of the three Rockies hits.
Catcher Brett Sullivan pitched a scoreless ninth for Colorado.
The teams played in chilly conditions for the second straight night. Temperatures were in the 40s Monday and Tuesday was overcast and 50 at first pitch.
Colorado opener Sammy Peralta, who made his first career start and season debut, didn’t last a full inning. Peralta (0-1) allowed two runs on two hits and hit a batter before being replaced by Tanner Gordon.
The Rangers got to Gordon in the second inning with three two-out RBI singles to build a 5-0 lead. Nimmo hit a two-run homer in the fourth, Justin Foscue had a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Texas scored single runs in the seventh and eighth inning
Rangers RHP Jack Leiter (1-4, 4.35 ERA) will face Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-5, 7.22) to wrap up the series Wednesday.
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Texas Rangers' Jake Burger connects for an RBI single off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Tanner Gordon in the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Rockies' Hunter Goodman strikes out against Texas Rangers starting pitcher Tyler Alexander in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Texas Rangers' Joc Pederson reacts after being put out at second base while trying to stretch a single into a double in the third inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Texas Rangers' Brandon Nimmo gestures as he crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Tanner Gordon in the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon voters on Tuesday rejected a gas tax increase passed last year by Democratic lawmakers, a victory for Republicans who put the issue to voters just as the war with Iran was causing prices at the pump to soar.
Democrats had raised the state gas tax by 6 cents a gallon and increased a series of fees to help pay for road improvements and plug a hole in the state’s transportation budget. Republicans responded by launching a successful referendum campaign to refer the tax and fee increases to voters.
The failure of the gas tax was no surprise to Democrats, who acknowledged the timing of the vote was against them. The tax increase also ran counter to national Democrats’ strategy of focusing on affordability concerns in the hopes of winning back control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections.
Republicans sought to counter Democrats’ affordability messaging by portraying the tax and fee increases as further fueling the high cost of living. Democrats, meanwhile, said the root cause of the spike in gas prices was President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) —
Oregon voters faced a familiar theme on their primary ballot Tuesday — well-financed Democratic incumbents looking to slide past little-known challengers while Republicans attempted to nominate candidates who could put up a fight in November in a heavily blue state.
As Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley easily won their primaries, much of the Election Day drama centered less on candidate races and more on a referendum seeking to repeal a bill passed last fall by the Democratic-controlled Legislature that raised the state gas tax and hiked a series of fees.
The legislation was Democrats' answer to help Oregon's transportation budget as the state projects a decline in gas tax revenue from the shift to more fuel-efficient, electric and hybrid vehicles. The gas tax is the largest funding source for fixing roads and upgrading highways.
The referendum, known as Measure 120, lands on the ballot as the cost of gas is spiking nationwide from the war in Iran. Kotek and other lawmakers from her party have acknowledged it will be tough for the ballot measure to pass. A yes vote means voters approve of the gas tax increase while a no vote means they reject it.
“It’s going to lose, so we might as well get on to the work of finding alternatives,” said Democratic state Rep. Paul Evans, anticipating that voters will reject the gas tax increase. “It has been a frustrating year.”
Republicans began circulating a petition to repeal the tax and fee increases soon after Kotek signed the legislation. It didn’t take them long to gather more than three times the number of signatures required to place the measure on the ballot.
With the referendum going before voters at a time when gas prices are skyrocketing, Republicans are trying to turn the tables on national Democrats’ messaging about affordability and lowering the cost of living during this year’s midterm elections.
“Oregonians are paying more today and not getting more in return,” said Republican state Sen. Bruce Starr, who helped lead the referendum campaign. “So are they going to, at the polls, vote to increase the price of gas another six cents? I doubt it.”
The Democrats' transportation funding bill raised the state gas tax from 40 cents a gallon to 46 cents a gallon while also boosting a payroll tax for transit projects and vehicle registration and title fees. At a Portland gas station recently, some voters said they were sympathetic to the need to raise money for road upkeep while others said a tax increase was just too much to swallow.
“At a time when everything is more costly ... nobody wants to pay more for anything,” said Josh Hansen, 39.
Kotek and other Democrats have linked the rise in gas prices to President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, yet the party has not organized efforts to support the gas tax increase on the ballot. If the tax and fee increases pass, they would take effect 30 days after approval by voters.
Trump, for his part, recently said he will move to suspend the federal gas tax of 18 cents a gallon, which would need to be approved by Congress.
Late Tuesday afternoon, a steady stream of voters arrived at a Portland library serving as a ballot drop site. Even in the progressive hub, Democratic voters were divided on the measure asking whether to approve the gas tax increase.
“I feel like the roads need to be repaired as a bicyclist, so I voted yes,” said Gail Watnick, a 56-year-old who arrived by bike wearing a bright yellow helmet.
David Trujillo, 25, said he voted for Kotek in the primary but voted against the gas tax increase.
“I think at the moment, with the gas prices being up and with the war that is occurring, it’s very difficult for folks to get around,” he said. “If the gas prices were to rise, I think that would be a huge barrier for more of our community members.”
Kotek, who is seeking reelection, faced nine primary opponents who reported raising little to no money and don't have experience in elected office.
Republicans have a crowded primary field of 14 candidates vying to run against her in November. They include state Sen. Christine Drazan, who lost to Kotek in the 2022 general election, and state Rep. Ed Diehl, who helped lead the gas tax referendum campaign.
The primary also includes Chris Dudley, a former NBA player whose career included time with the Portland Trail Blazers and who narrowly lost a previous bid for governor in 2010, and David Medina, a conservative influencer who was among those charged after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and pardoned by President Donald Trump last year. Medina faced charges that included obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony, and several misdemeanors that included destruction of government property and disorderly and disruptive conduct.
So far, Drazan and Dudley have reported raising the most money. Dudley notably received a $1 million contribution from Phil Knight, the billionaire co-founder of Nike, which is based in Oregon.
Whoever emerges faces a difficult path to the governor's office. Democrats appear energized around the country this year, and Oregon hasn't elected a Republican governor in over 40 years.
Voters also are casting ballots in primaries for U.S. Senate and the state's six U.S. House seats, five of which are held by Democrats.
Oregon's 5th Congressional District, considered its most competitive, was flipped by Republicans for the first time in decades in 2022 but reclaimed by Democrats in 2024. The district stretches from southern Portland across the Cascade Range to Bend.
The incumbent, Democratic Rep. Janelle Bynum, has more than $2 million on hand and is running against a primary opponent who has not reported raising any money.
Two candidates, a county commissioner and a political consultant, are running in the district’s Republican primary.
The other U.S. House seats are considered largely safe for the current incumbents.
Seven Republicans are running in the primary to challenge Merkley in the fall.
A voter drops off their ballot at a library in Portland, Ore. serving as a ballot dropbox site as Oregon held primary elections on May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Claire Rush)
An American flag flies near a sign for fuel prices at a gas station on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
People fill up fuel tanks at a gas station on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A person walks across the street as a sign for fuel prices is displayed at a gas station on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
A person fills a tank with fuel at a gas station on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
