Sampson trending the wrong way. 145 comments


A game after allowing six runs to Boston, Adrian Sampson gives up five to Cleveland.

 


Even in the best of years, you are going to have 10-1 spankings. The key isn’t how you are in your worst times, it’s how you respond to your worst times.

That’s the beauty of baseball. The season is long enough to forgot games like this.

Adrian Sampson has been a nice surprise this season. He had a stretch of five starts in a row where he gave up three earned runs or fewer. In fact, he gave up just one run in four of those five.

What is cause for concern though is, after that brilliant five-game stretch, he has now had two bad starts in a row.

Last time out, he gave up six earned runs in five innings against the Red Sox. Yesterday, five runs in three. (Two were unearned.)

So, is Sampson coming back to Earth? Or is it just a blip?

If the Rangers have any hope of a wild card game, they need Sampson.

And that might be the most telling assessment of the state of Rangers pitching. Or lack thereof.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:Adam Plutko (3-1, 4.63) vs. Joe Palumbo (0-0, 9.00)
Game time: 7:05