Joey Gallo’s fifteenth home run of the season wasn’t enough to overcome a five-run deficit.

Just when the Rangers look like they might be heading in the right direction, reality sets in.

Normally a split would be acceptable. But not against the Royals. Not at home. Not after an unlikely series win against the Yankees.

But that’s what happens when so many aspects of the team are not clicking.

Cole Hamels had been on a nice roll. The Rangers offense had been on an upswing. Things looked good.

But this team can’t seem to get a break or generate any momentum. They fell behind early and just don’t have the ability to come back on a regular basis. Some teams have that ability to never say die in their DNA. This team just isn’t that good.

So after a 4-3 homestand, the Rangers first winning homestead of the season, they head off on a seven-game road trip with four in Seattle against the Mariners and three in Los Angeles against the Angels.

The Rangers have played seventeen series thus far. They have won four, lost ten, tied three. Their longest winning streak has been three games. Longest losing streak, five.

They have been in last place every day since April 9. They have been as far thirteen games under .500 and are currently eleven.

It’s a team that cannot get anything going offensively for a long stretch of time. The culprit is an inability to hit with runners in scoring position.

They were 0-for10 yesterday, stranding doubles in the first, second, and third innings.

But the crusher was the top of the eighth, after they scored three runs in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-3 and put pressure on a bad Royals bullpen, the Rangers offense just wasn’t up to the task.

Kiner-Falefa led off with a single. After a Mazara fly out, Profar walked, putting the tying runs on and bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. But Gallo struck out and Odor popped up and that was all she wrote.

It was a frustrating loss to a really bad Kansas City Royals team.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Doug Fister (1-4, 4.22) vs. Marco Gonzales (4-3, 4.05)
Game time: 3:10

How the Rangers hit against Gonzales.
How the Mariners hit against Fister.