Hitting machine: Adrian Beltre goes the other way on an outside pitch for this third hit of the game.

The Rangers picked up eleven hits last night.

Adrian Beltre returned from two weeks away and picked up right where he left off, with three hits and two RBIs.

Delino DeShields went 2-for-5, scoring two runs, and was once again the catalyst for the Rangers offense, leading off the sixth and the eighth with hits.

Shin-Soo Choo broke out of his slump with a 2-for-4 night that included a double and an RBI.

In fact, the top four hitters in the Rangers lineup went a combined 8-for 16.

On the other side of the coin, the Tigers scored off all three Rangers pitchers. Five in the first two innings off Mike Minor, who ended up righting the ship and going seven.

Monday night, they were able to overcome Matt Moore’s five runs. Last night, the early 5-0 hole was too hard to dig out.

Last night’s game fit the blueprint for how the Rangers team was built this year. Enough offense. Not enough pitching.

Sometimes the offense can overcome the pitching. Most often it can’t.

Thus, the Rangers are ten games under .500 for the second time this season.

The Rangers hadn’t been ten games under since 2014.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Francisco Liriano (3-1, 2.97) vs. Bartolo Colon (1-1, 3.29)
Game time: 1:05

How the Tigers hit against Colon.
How the Rangers hit against Liriano.