The good Allard.


Kolby Allard allowed just two earned runs in six innings against the Mariners.

The Rangers finally broke their fourteen-game road losing streak last night. And in the process, they tried to break the hearts of their last remaining handful of fans.

They tried very hard to give away the game but, in typical Rangers fashion, were unsuccessful at even that.

It was another game where Kolby Allard sealed his fate as the hard luck pitcher for the Rangers in 2021. One look at his 2-10 record and you’d think he was having a Foltynewicz season. It’s not nearly that bad, not as bad as the numbers would indicate.

Last night he went six innings, giving up only two earned runs. That’s the second consecutive Quality Start for Allard. The Rangers have lost both games. In fact, all four Quality Starts Allard has racked up this year had resulted in Rangers loses.

That’s tough love.

There’s no denying Allard has had his share of duds. ERAs of 5.07 don’t happen by accident. In the four games before these two consecutive gems, he gave up four earned runs, five earned runs, six earned runs, and seven earned runs.

But when he does pitch well, he gets nothing to show for it. He’s had six starts this year where he has yielded two runs or fewer. He, and the Rangers, won one of those.

Last night, Allard cruised through the first three innings last night. But in the fourth gave up back-to-back home runs to lead off the inning. That was pretty much it.

Allard shows flashes of brilliance. If those flashes can be more consistent, the Rangers might have a starter they can rely on.

One thing’s for sure, they don’t have a closer they can rely on.

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