Texas Rangers recall top draft pick Jack Leiter. When will he get his first start?

The Texas Rangers are calling up right-hander Jack Leiter to make his major league debut on Thursday.

Leiter, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, is scheduled to start the series finale against the Tigers in Detroit.

Leiter is 1-1 with a 3.77 ERA in three games (two starts) this season at Triple-A Round Rock.

He is the son of left-hander Al Leiter, a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series winner who pitched in the majors for 19 seasons (1987-2005) with the New York Yankees and Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and then-Florida Marlins. Al Leiter retired with 162 wins and 1,974 strikeouts.

His uncle is Mark Leiter, a right-hander who spent 11 seasons in the majors with eight teams from 1990-2001. And his cousin is Mark Leiter Jr., who is part of the Chicago Cubs’ pitching staff.

Jack Leiter, who turns 24 on Sunday, currently is ranked as the Rangers’ No. 8 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Tigers topple Rangers

Gio Urshela’s two-out single knocked in the go-ahead run in the eighth and the host Detroit Tigers defeated the Texas Rangers, 4-2, on Tuesday afternoon.

Detroit starter Casey Mize, making his first home start since April 9, 2022, held Texas to two runs and five hits in six innings with six strikeouts.

Andrew Chafin (1-0) struck out three of the four batters he faced and got the win. Jason Foley escaped a ninth-inning jam for his fifth save.

Kerry Carpenter had two extra-base hits and drove in a run.

Texas starter Jon Gray gave up two runs (one earned) and three hits in six innings with seven strikeouts. Ezequiel Duran scored and knocked in a run.

The Tigers seemed poised to take the lead in the second when Carpenter led off with a triple. Gray responded by striking out Gio Urshela and Wenceel Perez.

After Javier Baez drew a walk, Parker Meadows popped out to end the inning.

The Tigers broke through the following inning. Riley Greene drew a one-out walk. After Spencer Torkelson flied out, Zach McKinstry hit a routine single to right field. The ball skipped off Evan Carter’s glove and rolled toward the fence as Greene raced home.

Texas took a 2-1 lead in the fifth. Josh Smith singled and advanced on a wild pitch. Duran then bounced a single up the middle to knock in Smith.

Andrew Knizner had a one-out single to move Duran to second. After a fielder’s choice, Semien smacked a two-out single to bring home Duran. Mize avoided more damage as Corey Seager flied out to deep right.

Detroit tied the score in the sixth. McKinstry drew a one-out walk and scored on Carpenter’s opposite-field double over the head of left fielder Wyatt Langford.

Torkelson walked against Jose Urena (0-2) with one out in the eighth. McKinstry hit into a fielder’s choice and Jacob Latz then replaced Urena. Matt Vierling pinch-hit for Carpenter and singled to move McKinstry to third.

Urshela hit the first pitch he saw from Latz for his run-scoring single. Vierling scored on a Latz wild pitch to make it 4-2.

Lorenzen shines in debut

In his Rangers debut, Michael Lorenzen pitched five scoreless innings to set the tone in a 1-0 victory over the host Detroit Tigers on Monday night.

Lorenzen (1-0) allowed three hits and pitched around five walks against his former team. He represented the Tigers at the All-Star Game last season before he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 1.

Lorenzen signed a one-year free-agent deal late in spring training and had been on the 15-day injured list due to a neck strain. He made three rehab appearances at Triple-A Round Rock before he was activated.

Rangers right-hander Jose LeClerc pitched two innings and recorded a pair of strikeouts. David Robertson and Kirby Yates closed out the Rangers’ first shutout this season. Yates recorded his first save by getting the last three outs.

Detroit starter Reese Olson (0-2) gave up one run and five hits while striking out eight in 6 1/3 innings.

The Tigers had a pair of one-out baserunners in the first, as Mark Canha singled and Spencer Torkelson walked. Lorenzen struck out Kerry Carpenter before Matt Vierling lined out to end the inning.

Texas threatened to score in the second when Josh Smith and Jonah Heim singled. Olson escaped that jam by striking out Jared Walsh.

Lorenzen walked a batter in the third and two more in the fourth but the Rangers turned double plays in both innings to keep the game scoreless.

The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the fifth. Heim led off with a double and Wash walked. Leody Taveras’ single loaded the bases with no outs.

Heim scored on Marcus Semien’s fielder’s choice grounder. Travis Jankowski flied out and when Walsh tried to score on the play, Tigers left fielder Riley Greene threw him out at the plate.

Detroit loaded the bases with one out in the fifth on singles by Gio Urshela and Javier Baez and a walk to Greene. Lorenzen once again escaped as Canha bounced into his second straight 6-4-3 double play.

Canha had a one-out double for the Tigers against Robertson in the eighth and Spencer Torkelson reached on catcher’s interference. A lineout and strikeout kept the score 1-0.