ARLINGTON, Texas — At this point last year, the Texas Rangers were on top of the world. They had a fairly comfortable lead in the American League West, were sporting a lofty run differential that backed up their status, and had the look of a team that was destined for October greatness.
Flash forward one calendar flip later and this year is quite a different story. The Rangers are floundering in the AL West, are catching no favors in how they are sequencing the runs that they score and allow, and the series with the New York Mets showed that even when things are going right, without a moment’s notice, it can all go incredibly wrong.
Game 72: New York 14, Texas 2 (W: Peterson, 3-0, L: Gray, 2-3)
Game 73: New York 7, Texas 6 (W: Garrett, 7-2, L: Yates, 3-1, Sv: Diaz, 7)
Game 74: New York 3, Texas 5 (W: Urena, 3-5, L: Smith, 1-1, Sv: Yates, 11)
Tip of the glove
As one of the top pitchers in the AL so far this season, Jon Gray was convinced that the Mets were picking up on some sort of tell in his delivery in the opener of this series. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something that was tipping his pitches. If that’s the case, any team slated to face Gray in the next few weeks will be watching footage from this game to see what they can use against the righty.
Gray turned in an outlier of a performance in an otherwise steady season in the rotation, getting knocked around for 11 hits and nine runs in just three innings of work. He gave up two homers and a myriad of hard hit balls, including a six-run second inning with every hit hovering near a 100 MPH exit velocity. It can certainly be chalked up to a bad day at the office, but – that’s been happening a lot for the Rangers.
Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory
After scoring only two runs on a paltry six hits in the opener, the Rangers managed to break through in the second game. They had a 6-2 lead through five innings after enjoying what had become their hallmark one season ago – a five-run inning. While starter Michael Lorenzen didn’t have his best stuff, he statistically turned in a quality start and left the game with the lead.
With the “winning pieces” of the bullpen very well rested, things seemed to line up well for a losing-streak-breaking win. However, Jose Leclerc loaded the bases with the game now 6-3 in the seventh, which brought on David Robertson who has been as shut down as can be in the setup role. Called upon to put out that fire, Robertson allowed just one inherited runner to score but that brought the game to within striking distance at 6-4 for a hot Mets squad.
Robertson, tasked with a second inning of work, next allowed a game-tying, bases-clearing double to Francisco Alvarez to tie the game. In the ninth, after the Rangers were unable to reclaim the lead, manager Bruce Bochy turned to his closer in a tie game, but Kirby Yates gave up just the fourth run that he’d allowed all season to give the Mets a 7-6 lead that Texas was unable to overcome.
Consider these statistical oddities: Robertson was pitching on four days rest. Over his career, which spans 15 years, Robertson is at his absolute worst when pitching with that exact number of days between outings, with a 5.26 ERA and opponents hitting .271/.348/.463 against him.
Leclerc, meanwhile, was pitching on just one day of rest. Over his eight year career, Leclerc sports a 4.71 ERA and has given up more home runs (12) on one day of rest by far than any amount of days without action.
Yates, like Robertson, was pitching on four days of rest. Over his career, spanning 10 years, Yates isn’t at his worst on four days’ rest, but opponents have slugged more against him on four days’ rest than any other amount of rest at .435. The right situation to use the right pieces couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Off the schneid
Perhaps one spot of good news to come from this series was Wyatt Langford finally recording a proper home run. Langford’s first official Major League home run came on April 28th against the Cincinnati Reds – but it was of the inside-the-park variety.
During the Rangers’ five-run fifth inning on Tuesday, Josh Smith hit a three-run homer and then a couple of batters later, Langford cranked one to deep left-center field for a solo shot and his first homer to fly over the fence.
Langford has scuffled more than expected in his first foray into the big leagues, just under a year after being drafted by the Rangers. However, over the last weeks as he’s returned to everyday action following a stint on the injured list, Langford has seen an uptick in his production, showing signs of becoming the hitter that Texas expected him to be when they aggressively named him a regular to open the season.
The silent treatment by his teammates following his first real home run was a brief moment of levity at a good time in what was slated to ultimately be a doomed game.
A Grimace relaxed
It took the final game of the series to bring back some good feelings. The Rangers completed a come-from-behind victory as they overtook the Mets to end a five-game losing streak. The pitching was up to the task in the finale. The question, as it has often been this season, was whether or not the bats would do enough to secure a victory.
Wednesday’s starter Andrew Heaney turned in a quality start at the exact cutoff for one, giving up three runs in six innings; that was a stellar effort, especially with the way the Mets have been playing. Jose Urena would be the star of the show, though, as well as the winning pitcher, going two scoreless while allowing just one hit.
While the arms were doing their yeoman’s work, the bats were hitless into the sixth inning, as no-hit watch has become something of a frighteningly common occurrence this season. But after the Mets took a 3-1 lead into the sixth, the Rangers finally broke through and tied the game before Leody Taveras broke a 3-for-100 ice cold spell with a clutch, pinch hit two-run home run in the seventh that proved to be the eventual game-winner.
Texas was able to finish the series with some good feelings but the question that has stymied them all season is posed again – how long can the good feelings last? With a day off on Thursday, the Rangers next welcome the contending Kansas City Royals to Arlington while they continue to try to fend off the Houston Astros for second place in the AL West.
Do you think the Rangers will iron out their issues as we near the halfway mark? Share your thoughts with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.
