Rangers offense wears down Verlander to even Astros series
This comes as no huge surprise, but the Texas Rangers’ starting rotation has been less than reliable through the first five games.
Only one starter has made it through five innings, and he still surrendered seven earned runs.
Shelby Miller, making his first start Tuesday night against the Houston Astros, was gone after 3 2/3 innings in a 2-2 game. His pitch count ballooned to 88 with five walks, and he left with two runners on in the fourth before reliever Jesse Chavez struck out Carlos Correa looking to escape the jam.
The Rangers starting rotation has the second-highest ERA in the American League, and the bullpen has carried a heavy burden early with at least 3 1/3 innings of work in each of the first five games.
But the bullpen has been sturdy enough to make up for the rotation’s shortcomings, as it was again Tuesday in the 6-4 win over the Astros — the Rangers’ third comeback win of the season. All of them have been decided in the seventh inning or later.
Opening Day starter Mike Minor (0-1), who went four innings against the Cubs on Thursday, faces Astros righty Gerrit Cole (0-1) in the series finale at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday.
Houston ace Justin Verlander also struggled with command and left after four innings and 94 pitches. He walked three and allowed four runs on six hits, including a two-run homer from Asdrubal Cabrera that tied it at 2 in the second inning. Verlander failed to go at least five innings only once in 2018. His four innings on Tuesday was his shortest outing against Texas since May 16, 2013, when he left after 2 2/3 with the Tigers.
“It was definitely a grind out there competing against a great lineup, they made me throw a lot of pitches, but that the end of the day we won the game and that’s all that matters,” said Miller, who graduated from Brownwood High School 10 years ago. “I was just trying to get over that adrenaline rush that I had being back for the first time. Mechanics were a little out of whack but it’s the first game back and I’m pleased with the outcome, it could have been worse.”
After the Astros reclaimed a 3-2 lead in the fifth, the Rangers took it right back with RBI singles from Elvis Andrus and Nomar Mazara in the bottom of the inning. Doubles from Alex Bregman and Correa tied it again, 4-4, in the sixth.
“Not just me, but as team, we’re just staying with our plan,” said Rougned Odor, who was 1 for 3 with two runs scored. “Just looking for our pitch. We used to go there and just hit. Now we go there with something in our mind. We go there to do something. That’s what we’re doing, and we’re going to keep doing.”
Joey Gallo’s two-run single in the seventh gave the Rangers a 6-4 lead as the Texas bullpen held up to preserve the win and even the series. Chris Martin induced a 6-4-3 double play to pitch a scoreless eighth. Shawn Kelly took over for Chavez and threw 1 1/3 of scoreless relief. Jose Leclerc pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the save.
Andrus and Shin-Soo Choo both had two hits, including a double and triple from Choo.
“Obviously, Verlander is one of the best in the game, if not the best, but we had a plan against him,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “We are not going to fear anybody. He could go out and throw a shutout against us but that doesn’t mean we’re going to fear him. We made him work tonight. We made him work for everything. He knew right away we were coming after him. That’s the only thing you can do against a great pitcher, you have to attack him back. We are not going to fall into the trap of being scared before the game even starts.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2019 at 10:36 PM.
