Shelby Miller cannot make it through two innings, allowing nine of the fourteen batters he faced to get on base, and eight to score.

The good thing about being a Rangers fan is knowing your team has money to burn.

The bad thing about being a Rangers fan is knowing your team doesn’t have a clue how to spend the money it burns.

Late in 2018, after coming back from Tommy John surgery, Shelby Miller pitched in five games for Arizona. He was 0-4 with a 10.69 ERA. In layman’s terms, he was a disaster.

He did all that carnage in just sixteen innings. He lost efficiently.

For that, the Rangers threw two million dollars at him. But in fairness to Jon Daniels, maybe he was thinking Miller would regain the form he displayed before he hurt his arm—when he threw up a 4.09 ERA in four games in 2017. Or the year before when he pitched in twenty games and hung up a 6.15 ERA.

You really have to wonder what Daniels was thinking. Does he think he is the pitcher whisperer?

After last night’s disastrous outing in which he wasn’t even able to make it through two innings, Shelby Miller is now 1-3 with a 9.51 ERA.

Can Jon Daniels spot a bargain, or what?

Actually, yes, if you compare it to other disastrous spending. Last year the Rangers threw nine million at Matt Moore. So, Miller’s two million, coming off sixteen total innings pitched, was a bargain in comparison. The year before they threw ten million at Andrew Cashner.

The Rangers have the money. But they waste it like a drunk at the poker table. And that’s a shame. Because when you don’t know how to develop pitching, you need to buy it.

The Rangers have shown they don’t know how to buy it either.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Mike Minor (3-3, 2.68) vs. Jorge Lopez (0-4, 6.07)
Game time: 7:15