The Rangers bullpen was in mid-season form last night, blowing a lead, then losing a game. The culprits were Álvarez and Alvarez. With accent, without out.

With is Darío, who the Rangers picked up from Atlanta last year along with Lucas Harrell. Harrell is now throwing his hundred pitches an inning in the Blue Jays farm system, where he will undoubtedly surface in the playoffs to no-hit the Rangers. Álvarez posted a 7.71 ERA for Texas in ten games, with a Cashneresque WHIP of 1.629.

Without is R. J., originally drafted in the Angels system. He got into ten games in 2014 with the Padres and had a 1.13 ERA. The next year, he turned that into a 9.90 ERA with the Athletics the next year, catching the attention of Jon Daniels.

It’s doubtful either guy sees Arlington unless they look out the window of their airplane on the way to parts unknown.

Just thirteen more days of this nonsense. Let’s get this over and start playing for real. Alvarez free.

*****

Perhaps you missed the World Baseball Classic game late last night. Perhaps you were sleeping.

That’s okay. Jurickson Profar was sleeping too. Only thing is, he was playing in the game.

He hit a single and was celebrating the fact that he got on first. Little did he know that while he was filled with the joy of actually getting on base, Puerto Rico’s all-world catcher Yadier Molina decided it was time to end the fun.

He picked off a stunned, embarrassed and suddenly now wide awake Profar. See it here.

Lesson learned.

Hopefully.

It’s a good thing Beltre wasn’t there to discipline him.