ARLINGTON, Texas — To say that this series didn’t go exactly how the Texas Rangers wanted would be an understatement.
While the visiting Los Angeles Angels aren’t the team immediately trailing Texas in the American League West, this four-game set was certainly a huge opportunity to gain some ground on a good division rival.
Coming off of a tough series loss to the Tampa Bay Rays that left a sour taste in the mouth of the Rangers, as it turns out, the taste would only linger.
Game 65: Los Angeles 9, Texas 6 (W: Bachman, 1-0, L: Ragans, 2-3)
Game 66: Los Angeles 7, Texas 3 (W: Herget, 1-2, L: White, 0-1, Sv: Estevez, 18)
Game 67: Los Angeles 3, Texas 6 (W: Sborz, 3-2, L: Herget, 1-3)
Game 68: Los Angeles 5, Texas 3 (W: Ohtani, 6-2, L: Eovaldi, 9-3, Sv: Webb, 1)
Boiling over
It’s odd to think of a three-game losing streak as a slump, but after Tuesday’s game, the Rangers found themselves facing that scenario, along with having lost five of six. Their lone win came against Tampa Bay on Saturday, but in their five losses, the Rangers scored 15 total runs. For a Rangers’ team that is used to scoring an average of over 6 runs, that qualifies as a slump.
Perhaps then, it’s no surprise that, amidst a little offensive funk, the trio of second baseman Marcus Semien, pitching coach Mike Maddux, and manager Bruce Bochy all found themselves taking an early shower, courtesy of a few quick hooks from first base umpire Ramon DeJesus.
In a one-run game in the finale, starter Shohei Ohtani was out of the game as the pitcher in the bottom of the 7th, and the speedy Travis Jankowski had made it to third base, courtesy of a walk, a steal and a fly out. Semien was 0-for-2 on the night but looking to tie things up. On a 3-2 check swing on a pitch out of the zone, Semien was rung up by DeJesus. It was, at best, a questionable call.
Semien exchanged words with DeJesus, as did Maddux. After Corey Seager was intentionally walked and Nathaniel Lowe grounded out to end the inning, Semien was ejected for continuing to argue. Maddux, who disagreed vehemently with the call, had also continued to talk to the umpire and was ejected for his efforts. Then it was Bochy’s turn.
And who could blame the Rangers for being frustrated? It was a key moment in a series that Texas was trying to salvage. If Semien draws the walk, perhaps Seager isn’t intentionally walked, perhaps he drives in Jankowski, perhaps Lowe gives them the lead and perhaps Ohtani doesn’t drill his fourth homer of the series to extend the lead. But that’s the way things evolved during a stretch where the breaks just haven’t been going the Rangers’ way.
Dunning’s downturn
Dane Dunning opened the series, and for a few innings, looked like the pitcher that made a big impact early in the season. However, after being given a 3-0 lead, things started to unravel a bit as he allowed three runs on six hits and five walks as he was likely lucky to escape five innings without further damage. After 90 pitches, Dunning was done.
Perhaps getting out of the routine by being placed on the paternity list has thrown Dunning off, but in his three starts since coming back, the righty has not enjoyed as much success as he had in the season’s first six weeks.
Overall, Dunning has surrendered 10 runs and 20 hits in those three games since he returned to the rotation as a permanent replacement for Jacob deGrom. With starting pitching depth fairly thinned out, and with Andrew Heaney and Martin Perez suffering some hiccups of their own, Texas could really use Dunning’s early-season self to get them through the dog days of summer.
Semien’s slump
Semien’s 25-game hitting streak was a thing of beauty to watch. The Rangers were more than just productive, they were prolific. Over that streak, Semien hit .327/.367/.564 with four homers and 22 RBI. Perhaps more importantly, the Rangers were 19-6 and, as a whole, slashed .327/.367/.564.
Then Semien’s hitting streak came to an end on the same day that the Rangers lost 1-0 as Jon Gray threw a complete game loss to the Cardinals. Since then, Semien has logged five hits total. He’s slashed .156/.206/.281. The offense as a whole? .221/.309/.411. The Rangers are now 2-6 since Semien’s gone cold.
As Semien goes, so does the offense it would seem.
It’s not all bad
While the Rangers couldn’t come away with a series win, they were shown two glimmers of hope in two rookie pitchers that stepped up for them. With Gray sidelined with a blister, Cody Bradford was recalled into action to start the game on Tuesday. After throwing 99 pitches the previous Friday at Round Rock, Bradford gave the Rangers 4 ⅓ innings on short rest, allowing just two hits and one run.
Following Bradford was righty Owen White. The Rangers’ No. 2 prospect, and top pitching prospect, who had been named the most recent Texas League Pitcher of the Week, jumped from Double-A Frisco to make his MLB debut.
While White took the loss, and his line ultimately didn’t look sterling, the youngster’s performance was encouraging. White allowed one run due to a throwing error by Seager on a would-be inning-ending double play. Then Hunter Renfroe launched a two-run shot to right field to give the Angels the lead. But for two innings, White did exactly what the Rangers needed from him and gave him a glimpse of his future in Arlington.
The Rangers suffered their second series loss in a row for only the second time this season. They’re now three games up on the Houston Astros and 4.5 up on the Angels, as the AL East Toronto Blue Jays come to town for a series.
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