ARLINGTON — The thinking, at least in spring training, was that the Texas Rangers' offense would be fine, the bullpen would improve and the starting rotation would need some time to get healthy.
The total counts suggest that the attack is fine, but the various droughts are marked with asterisks. The bullpen, at least slightly improved in certain spots, is prone to meltdowns like the one it suffered in Monday's 7-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field.
And what about rotation? With each injury and each time there was concern that Texas' interior depth might not be able to handle the number of pre-existing medical conditions and those that have increased in the first month and a half of this year, it somehow gets better. It seems there is.
It's a little confusing. Monday's series opener was no different.
Rangers starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen pitched seven scoreless innings with one hit against the Guardians. He scattered four walks and completed a no-hitter until the sixth inning, when Cleveland's leadoff batter Tyler Freeman grounded out a single between Josh Smith and Corey Seager in the left infield. He continued to perform exceptionally well as the Texas starting pitcher, and a contract on the final day of spring training looked increasingly like a critical need.
he did the best he could. But the Rangers offense did its best to mirror Cleveland's offense, and the Rangers bullpen did its best to mirror last season's relief corps.
result? It was a four-game losing streak, and the club suffered a shutout for the fourth time this season.
Guardians starter Tanner Bibby held the Rangers to a no-hitter through 3 2/3 innings, and Nathaniel Rowe singled in the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, Travis Jankowski singled and doubled on a missed pickoff, putting runners in scoring position for the first time. In the 6th inning, the trio of Leody Taveras (single), Seager (walk), and Lowe (walk) loaded the bases with one out, but Adris Garcia struck out on three pitches and Josh Smith grounded out to center field on a full count. Ta. Intermediate splitter.
Garcia, the team's No. 4 hitter and club player of the month in April, had three strikeouts on Monday and is hitting .153 (8-for-52) with 21 strikeouts and three walks in May. Smith, who batted No. 5 on Monday, could have received the second-most votes for April's Player of the Month, but he is hitting .200 in May and has lost his last 14 games. That's 1 point.
They're not alone. The team's overall performance at Denver's hitter-friendly Coors Field last weekend (the Rangers scored just six points and were swept by the last-place Colorado Rockies) is proof otherwise. Injuries didn't help. Josh Jung (who, according to Baseball Reference, has more WAR than every player outside of three positions on the Texas roster despite only playing in four games this season) is sidelined with a broken wrist. away from. Wyatt Langford is on injured reserve with a hamstring strain, and fellow rookie Evan Carter is sidelined with a sore lower back.
“We're just one of the signings there and we're inconsistent in the batting order at this point,” Bochy said. “[We’re having a hard time] Get the players on base and let them enter. If you run one or two, it won't work. [allowed]It will probably be harder to win ballgames. ”
Bochy doesn't want to worry too much about injuries, but there may be evidence to support that idea considering the rotation's performance.
The Texas starting pitcher entered Monday's game with a 3.01 ERA, the third-lowest in the American League in May, and pitched a league-best 68 2/3 innings. With Lorenzen starting, he lowered that mark to a 2.73 ERA in 75 2/3 innings pitched. The Rangers have had 10 starts this month with at least five innings and no more than two innings, and they have lost six of those games.
“I think the group we have here is pretty experienced,” Lorenzen said. “Everyone is pretty experienced, including the players on the IL. I think that’s what it is. [general manager Chris Young] He brings a lot of experience…I think that experience alone was really beneficial to the team and the rotation.”
The starting rotation, which includes Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi, Dane Dunning, Cody Bradford, and Tyler Marr, is certainly experienced and should be able to run like the Texas rotation is currently running. is. That seems unlikely for a player who will be without all six players and has been turned into a spot starter three times in the past six days.
Apparently.
And, apparently, the offensive line, which was on track to win the World Series a season ago and led the AL in hits (373) and runs scored (205) this season, is now playing in multiple games like they have in the past. There should be no tendency to fall into complete dormancy. It was done.
Apparently.
“You have to trust them,” Bochy said. “They're your guys and they've done a lot of great things. At least if you look at this year, we had similar moments last year, but there has to be an element of trust. Trust me, our hitting coaches spend time working with these guys and getting them back on track, but sometimes things like this happen.”
It might not have mattered on Monday anyway. Lorenzen handed the ball off to Jose Leclerc in the eighth inning on 96 pitches. He recorded just one out and gave up three runs on two hits and one walk. Jacob Lutz tried to take control of the situation, but instead allowed four runners and one run in two-thirds of the inning. When Owen White gave up three more runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the wheels completely came off. Relief pitchers other than Kirby Yates and David Robertson are a bit of a shaky topic at the moment. The same goes for the offense, which suffered injuries during the four-game hiatus.
That's not the case with the starting rotation.
Who would have expected it?
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