Ariel Jurado strikes out Leury Garcia for one of two Ks in his major league debut.

The worst team in the American League has won two out of three against the Rangers. That does not bode well for this current Texas team.

What they are hoping does bode well is the arm of 22-year-old right hander Ariel Jurado. In a system devoid of much real pitching talent, Jurado had been a bright light.

He’s not overpowering, but his sinker is pretty nasty. Nasty enough to carve a nice 2.83 ERA in Double-A in 2018. He throws strikes, and he works fast.

Since Austin Biben-Dirkx isn’t on the 40-man and adding him would require a roster move the Rangers don’t want to make, and since there is no pitching at the Triple-A level, and since Cole Hamels was unable to make a start because of his neck injury, the Rangers tapped into Jurado.

He cruised through the first two. Then, in the third, after two outs, the White Sox piled on four runs to take a 4-3 lead.

The anemic Rangers offense returned after a night where it scored 12 runs. Last night, all they could get was three. After the third inning, the Rangers went to sleep.

Losing to the great teams reveals how big the talent gap is. Losing to the bad teams reveals where the deficiencies exist. With the Rangers, it’s every aspect of the game.

So, they head into today’s game hoping for a split, hoping to avoid joining the 30-loss club, and hoping they can somehow develop enough pitching to plug the gaping holes in the side of the major league dam.

It’s pretty bad when hope is your best weapon against the lowly Chicago White Sox.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Mike Minor (3-2, 5.61) vs. Raynaldo Lopez (0-3, 3.50)
Game time: 1:10

How the Rangers hit against Lopez.
How the White Sox hit against Minor.