Nike Napoli homers late in an 11-0 game, allowing the Rangers to avoid the embarrassment of being shut out by the Red Sox.

This team is basically a three-legged stool with two of the legs broken at any given time.

Their rotation has some quality arms but not enough and not they cannot be consistently relied upon.

Their offense is potent but sputters because it has far too many strikeouts holes to make it reliable.

The bullpen can have its moments but those are few and far between and every inning is a case of putting your hands over your eyes and hoping for the best.

About the only way for the Rangers to win a game is to balance precariously on one of those three legs.

They can get the brilliant performance they got from Cole Hamels his last start. They can pile up enough runs that the bullpen doesn’t matter. Or they can have one of those days when the bullpen comes through.

But the Rangers hardly ever have all three happen in the same game. And they rarely have two.

So, they have to hope for one. Last night they got none.

Yu Darvish gave up a career-worst eleven hits and seven earned runs. The offense failed in key situations early. And the bullpen ruined any remote chance for a comeback.

All three of the legs were broken. The Rangers easily toppled over.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Doug Fister (0-1, 4.91) vs. Andrew Cashner (3-7, 3.87)
Game time: 7:05

How the Red Sox hit against Cashner.
How the Rangers hit against Fister.

*****

Today marks my third anniversary of taking over RR3 from Twig. Thanks to everyone for returning every day. We have been making Rangers baseball tolerable since 2014. It’s not a blog without bloggers.