An ugly one. 451 comments


The final game against the Mariners wasn’t the only thing the Rangers dropped on Wednesday.

The final game against the Mariners wasn’t the only thing the Rangers dropped on Wednesday.

 

The Rangers came into yesterday’s game having committed just four errors. They nearly matched that in one game. Ian Desmond and Delino DeShields went back to back in the bottom of the third. Rougned Odor committed the other in the bottom of the tenth.

All in all, the three errors added up to three unearned runs that did in the Rangers in Seattle’s 4-2 win.

The defense was sloppy. The offense was pretty much nonexistent. But the starting pitching was once again very good, as A. J. Griffin gave up just one earned run in five innings.

So, according the the rule you learned in kindergarten that dictates if you cannot say anything nice about something, don’t say anything at all, rather than dwell on yesterday’s frustrating mess, let’s look at the positives.

First, the Orioles come to the Ballpark for four games having finally lost. So that’s not a thing anymore.

Second, with so many of the regulars struggling to break .200—eerily similar in stats to the Rangers tepid offensive start last year—at least the rotation has been pretty phenomenal.

No starter has given up more than three runs. The Rangers have gotten ten good starts in a row. Here is the rotation after two times around for each guy.

Screen Shot 2016-04-13 at 10.28.10 PM

In ten total games, a Rangers starter has left the game trailing only twice. Martin Perez left Sunday trailing 3-1. Derek Holland left the first game against the Angels trailing 3-2.

All you can ask of your starters is to give you a chance to win. With a bit of offense, better relief pitching and ignoring yesterday’s defense, the Rangers could be 10-0.

Instead they are 5-5.

So that begs the question. Is the rotation this good? Or is it that all ten games have been against the Angels and Mariners, and the Rangers rotation has yet to be tested by a truly good team?

We’re about to find out.

*****
TODAY’S GAME

Screen Shot 2016-04-13 at 10.22.25 PMChris Tillman (1-0, 1.29) vs Cole Hamels (2-0, 2.08)
Game Time: 7:05 pm

How the Orioles hit against Hamels.
How the Rangers hit against Tillman.