Left, what Ariel Jurado created. Right, what the Rangers bullpen mangled.

Back in 2012, in a small village in Spain, a woman decided to restore a masterpiece that had been painted in the 1930s but had since deteriorated

What she ended up doing was one of the biggest debacles in art history that made her and the painting a laughing stock.

The lesson learned was obvious. You don’t ruin a masterpiece.

Chris Woodward learned that lesson yesterday first hand. It’s something he probably already knew. And it’s a mistake he will most likely make again and again and again. Because that’s how baseball works now.

Chris Woodward succumbed to the pitch count demon. He took out a perfectly good pitcher when he was creating a masterpiece and turned it over to amateurs. And they mangled it.

Ariel Jurado was dominating. Like most pitchers in baseball, he gave up a home run to Mike Trout. Then zeroes. Nothing in the second. A walk and a harmless single in the third. Nothing in the fourth. A couple harmless singles in the fifth. A walk in the sixth that was quickly erased by a double play.

Then he committed two of the cardinal sins of baseball. He gave up a hit after the sixth inning. And he threw more than 80 pitches.

Time to remove the two-time offender from the game.

So, after six and one-third brilliant innings, with a 5-1 lead, the Rangers bullpen came in. And just like that, the masterpiece was destroyed.

Jeffery Spring gave up a double and a single and a single and a double. Now the 5-1 lead was 5-4. Kyle Dowdy came in and after a sac fly to tie it and an intentional walk, threw a wild pitch to allow the go-ahead run, then another wild pitch to allow what would eventually be the deciding run.

Six runs scored. The four-run lead evaporated. The Rangers lost the three-game series to the Angels.

A masterpiece was ruined. It was all so unnecessary.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Lance Lynn (6-3, 4.67) vs. Tommy Milone 0-1, 3.60)
Game time: 8:10