ARLINGTON, Texas — Even though it was early in the season last year, the 8-15 Cincinnati Reds looked to be no match for a red-hot 2023 Texas Rangers squad, who were in the middle of putting up unbelievable offensive numbers. After that series, a series in which Texas was swept via three straight bullpen-blown games, there seemed to be a feeling of the air going out of a balloon.
Would Texas end up recovering? Yes, but the feeling at that moment, having been swept by a really bad last place club, is comparable to the feeling for the Rangers as we sit here today, having been swept by a really bad last place club in Colorado.
Last season, Cincinnati could be described as “up and coming.” Colorado cannot even be described as that. The first time all season that the Rangers were swept came against a club that hadn’t even won two games in a row, much less three, all year.
Game 40: Texas 2, Colorado 4 (W: Bird, 1-1, L: Anderson, 0-1, Sv: Beeks, 2)
Game 41: Texas 3, Colorado 8 (W: Kinley, 2-0, L: Robertson, 2-1)
Game 42: Texas 1, Colorado 3 (W: Blach, 1-1, L: Ureña, 1-3, Sv: Beeks, 3)
Starting pitching not at fault
With six full-fledged starters on the injured list, you could buy offhand that it has been the pitching that is the reason that the Rangers are underperforming this year. In hitter-friendly Colorado, one might assume that pitching would be the reason for the Rangers being swept by the Rockies. That was not the case.
The combination of Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, and Jose Ureña did their job. Against his former team, Jon Gray went six innings of one-run ball, scattering eight hits and striking out seven.
Heaney, for now, has started to shake off the impression that he’s a short-term outing pitcher, throwing 85 pitches to get five full innings in the books, allowing just two runs on eight scattered hits while striking out eight.
Jose Ureña, who was plucked from the bullpen when Dane Dunning hit the injured list, threw at least 90 pitches for the second start in a row, going 6 ⅔ innings and allowing two runs on six hits in the finale. Usually, if your starters can only give up just five runs across three games and give you at least five innings apiece, you feel good about your chances.
Anything but relief
The starters did their job. The relievers, for the most part, did their job. But two very bad outings did not help the potential for the Rangers to earn a win in this series.
David Robertson, who had only given up just three runs all season in 20 ⅔ innings, came on Saturday to preserve a 3-2 lead. He didn’t even get an out. He admitted to having issues locating the strike zone and making quality strikes, but Robertson gave up two singles, hit a batter, and walked a batter before being removed.
In the finale, Jonathan Hernandez had a second straight outing where he could not locate the strike zone. While his velocity is right on track, Hernandez walked three straight, including one that brought in a Rockies’ insurance run that was charged to Jake Latz. In his previous appearance, Hernandez walked five. Out of options, the Rangers will have to decide on retaining Hernandez or letting him go.
Offensive offense
The true problem of the whole season, and especially this particular series at Coors Field against what had been a tragic Rockies club, is that the Rangers aren’t hitting consistently enough to claim winnable games. We knew going into the season that the pitching staff would be in flux for much of the first half, but it has mostly held up its end of the bargain, warts and all.
Blame can be placed on the bullpen for surrendering leads or walking copious numbers of people, but the fact remains that the Rangers, who are tied for fourth in baseball in runs scored by virtue of a handful of games where everything clicked, a club that sported one of the most fearsome offensive lineups in the league last year, scored a total of six runs in three games at Coors Field. That’s as many runs total as the Rockies scored in Saturday night’s seventh inning alone.
Most notably absent from the limited production of the Rangers’ lineup in this series was Nathaniel Lowe (1-for-9, but with three walks), Jonah Heim (3-for-12) and Adolis Garcia (1-for-12).
The Rangers struggled again against left-handed pitching, the true bain of their season thus far. Robbie Grossman, who was reacquired last week specifically because he hits left-handed pitching well, went 1-for-6 in the series, playing only against lefties.
The Texas offense has remained largely intact from last year, especially in bringing back Grossman. But key players – Corey Seager, Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford, Garcia – have not produced like they did last season. It stands to reason that the offense will get going again, but for now, if they don’t string together a bunch of hits in a row, they’re simply not scoring enough runs to back what has been an admirable effort from the arms.
Texas now heads back home in the exact same place that they were when they embarked on the now expired road trip – in second place and half a game behind Seattle. Except now instead of having the Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies on the docket, two moribund franchises that the champs should have feasted on, they’re welcoming the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians.
Do you think the Rangers will overcome their embarrassing weekend in the Rocky Mountains? Share your thoughts with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.