By SHAWN MCFARLAND The Dallas Morning News
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ARLINGTON, Texas — Early offense? Insurance runs? Production from each corner of the batting order? All against a team that is largely considered to be a good one?

Believe it. The Texas Rangers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-1 on Sunday at Globe Life Field to win their first series since they swept the last-place Colorado Rockies on May 14.

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Here’s how it happened:

— The story: The bottom of the Rangers lineup got on and the top got ‘em in. It’s a tried and true practice. No. 8 hitter Marcus Semien (2 for 2 with two walks and two runs scored) and No. 9 hitter Sam Haggerty (1 for 2 with one run scored and another driven in) combined to reach base six times and scored each of Texas’ first three runs. That, coupled with another effective start from the Rangers’ rotation, was all they needed. Their five-run eighth inning — which included a Jake Burger run-scoring double, a sacrifice fly, a sacrifice bunt and a Josh Smith two-run home run — was just for fun.

— The starter: Jacob deGrom threw six innings of one-run ball and was lifted after 81 pitches as the Rangers continue to manage his workload. He has now pitched 69 1/3 innings — the second-most he’s thrown in a single year since his second Cy Young season with the New York Mets in 2019.

— The star: Smith (who played first base Sunday) had slashed .167/.220/.222 in his 15 previous games before a breakthrough performance vs. the Cardinals. Smith hit two doubles and a home run after he’d totaled just four extra-base hits in the entire month of May. Smith’s second double, off of Cardinals right-handed starter Erick Fedde, scored a pair of runs to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. His two-run home run in the eighth inning off of Roddery Munoz was his fifth of the season, and it gave the Rangers an 8-1 lead.

— The schedule: The Rangers will enjoy their second day off in a five-day span Monday before they begin a multi-city road trip at the Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins. They won’t play another game at Globe Life Field until June 13 vs. the Chicago White Sox.