Rangers squander seven-run lead in loss to Indians

Maybe the Texas Rangers should stop taking seven-run leads.

A day after nearly blowing one at Yankee Stadium, the Rangers watched one disappear Monday against the Cleveland Indians, who found success against Cole Hamels and didn’t stop hitting until well after they had turned around their touchdown deficit.

The Rangers led 9-2 after they batted in the fourth inning, but then lost for the first time since 2006 when leading by seven. The soft underbelly of the club, the middle relievers, couldn’t bail out Hamels in his first start since April 26.

“When you score nine runs, you expect to win a baseball game,” manager Jeff Banister said. “It was a 13-run turnaround. That’s how you put in context. It was nothing more than that.”

This might not rate as a soul-searching loss, since the Rangers have seen their bullpen blow multiple games this season. But while concern has been focused on the bullpen’s winning pieces, the Rangers have bigger issues in trying to get the game into the late-innings.

The solutions are to either stick with their starters longer on nights they struggle or to continue trying to find relievers who can be effective consistently.

Dario Alvarez hasn’t been that all season, yet he entered in a jam but with a 9-4 lead after Hamels ran out of steam. Alvarez walked in a run, allowed another to score on a fielder’s choice and a third to score on a Francisco Lindor single.

The Rangers still had the lead at 9-7 when Tanner Scheppers allowed a single, a walk and a single to make it 9-8. Alex Claudio, one of the Rangers’ trusted relievers, allowed three more to reach and surrendered the lead before getting the first out of the inning.

It was 12-9 before Claudio could get the third out.

Cleveland continued its onslaught in the seventh against Preston Claiborne, who was making his Rangers debut. He allowed four doubles and three runs to make it 15-9.

In all, the Rangers allowed 19 hits (none of them a home run), seven walks and a club-record 28 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Every Indians batter collected a hit and reached at least two times.

The meltdown, in which Hamels was charged with seven runs, spoiled a big game early by the offense. Elvis Andrus homered twice for the second time in his career and now has a career-high nine homers this season.

Nomar Mazara drove in the game’s first run with an RBI double.

And giving them a chance to erase a seven-run deficit.

This story was originally published June 26, 2017 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Rangers squander seven-run lead in loss to Indians."