Joc Pederson's 2-run homer in the 6th lifts Rangers past the Orioles 2-1

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Joc Pederson hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning and Nathan Eovaldi and three relievers combined to limit Baltimore to one run as the Texas Rangers beat the Orioles 2-1 Friday night.

Pederson swung at the first pitch he saw from Shane Baz (4-11) and drove it 414 feet around the pole in right field, scoring Elias Diaz and giving the Rangers a lead they never relinquished. It was Pederson's 21st homer of the season and his eighth go-ahead homer of the year.

The Rangers were limited to three hits, one each from Pederson, Brandon Nimmo, and Díaz.

Eovaldi worked 5 1/3 innings and allowed one run on four hits while striking out two. Tyler Alexander (3-2) earned the win after allowing one hit in two-thirds of an inning. Jacob Latz worked two scoreless innings for his 22nd save.

The Orioles got a double from Leody Taveras and singles from Dylan Beavers, Coby Mayo, Colton Cowser, and Carlos Narváez.

Baz threw eight innings innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out nine.

Baltimore nearly tied the game with one out in the ninth, but Nimmo threw to Nicky Lopez from right. Lopez hit Díaz, who managed to tag Taveras on his sliding mitt at home. The call on the field was confirmed after a replay review.

The Rangers won their third straight game for the first time since the All-Star break and are 3-1 on their homestand.

The Orioles lost their second straight and for the fourth time in seven games.

Orioles RHP Kyle Bradish (7-10, 3.79 ERA) faces Rangers RHP Jacob deGrom (7-7, 3.96) on Saturday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Baltimore Orioles' Colton Cowser runs as he looks at his soft grounder infield out during the second inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers' Corey Seager heads to the dugout after striking out swinging during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Shane Baz throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson celebrates after his two-run home run that also scored Elias Díaz during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — As Republicans dig out from under a midterm landslide, they can point to a single bright spot on the nationwide congressional map. That’s Maine’s 2nd congressional district, the only seat that went from blue to red without the help of redistricting.

It was far from a resounding victory. Even though President Donald Trump won the district by 9 points two years ago, it took a former Republican governor, Paul LePage, to squeak out a victory over Matt Dunlap, the Democratic state auditor.

The Associated Press called the race Thursday after officials finished the ranked choice voting process to determine the winner.

LePage and Dunlap were competing to replace Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat who is retiring from Congress.

The only other seats that went from blue to red are Texas' 32nd congressional district and Tennessee' 9th congressional district, but both of those flips were enabled by redistricting efforts that made the electorates far more conservative.

Meanwhile, Democrats have flipped 44 seats, and a handful of races have not yet been called.

Dunlap conceded last week and LePage declared victory, and he’s been in Washington for orientation for new members.

“Paul LePage is already hard at work for the people of Maine,” said Brent Littlefield, a spokesperson for LePage.

Maine only has two congressional districts. The 1st is heavily Democratic and includes Portland and wealthy coastal towns. The 2nd includes a few small cities and vast rural and forested areas, and is home to industries such as logging, potato farming and lobster fishing. It’s more conservative than most of New England.

Golden had found success in the 2nd by running as a moderate Democrat who was willing to break with his party. However, he announced last year that he would not run for a fifth term, saying he had “grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community.”

As governor from 2010 to 2018, most of LePage’s two terms predated Trump’s presidency, but he aligned himself with the president toward the end of his time in office. The two shared a brand of brash, conservative populism, with LePage once saying he was “Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular.”

However, LePage also criticized Trump's tariffs on Canada, a key trading partner for Maine, and expressed support for legal immigration. When he declared victory last week, LePage vowed to make the state’s interests a priority in Washington.

“If it is good for Maine, I will work hard to make it happen. If it is bad for Maine, I will oppose it,” he said.

Rep.-elect Paul LePage, R-Maine, center, and newly-elected members of the 120th Congress gather for a group photo on the steps of the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, a candidate for Maine's second congressional House district, greets supporters before Vice President JD Vance spoke during a visit to Compotech, a composite technology company, Aug. 24, 2026, in Brewer, Maine. (AP Photo/Gabe Souza, File)