Losing skid is Woodward’s first test as Rangers manager. Here’s how he’s trying to ace it
Losers of four straight games entering Wednesday, the Texas Rangers were facing their stiffest adversity of the two-week-old 2019 season.
Their offense was anemic over the weekend against the Los Angeles Angels, when the starting pitchers displayed a reluctance or inability to regularly throw strikes.
On Tuesday, closer Jose Leclerc opened the door and graciously held it for the Arizona Diamondbacks as they rallied to a 5-4 walk-off victory.
Wednesday wasn’t going to be a picnic against left-hander Robbie Ray.
“I told the group we might not win tonight,” manager Chris Woodward said. “But so what? We’re still going to fight through it and address issues when they come up whether we win or lose.”
That’s the messaging Woodward is trying to convey. The work can’t stop during a losing streak, and the belief that the team can win can’t erode away.
The skid rates as Woodward’s first test as a big-league manager.
“Every team in baseball has to deal with failure, even the best teams,” Woodward said. “It’s the teams that maintain their belief that they’re good. It’s the players that still can hit .180 and still stand tall.
“A lot of teams give in at this point. They’re like, ‘Oh, well. We weren’t supposed to be good. That’s it.’ I’m not allowing that. Whether we are a below-.500 team at the end of the year, the belief shouldn’t belief that. We should have higher standards and expectations than that.”
The loss Tuesday was a kick in the head. Leclerc was riding a 25 1/3-inning scoreless streak and has converted 14 consecutive save opportunities before Arizona scored three ninth-inning runs for a 5-4 walk-off victory.
Jarrod Dyson won it with a pinch-hit two-run homer and spoiled a second straight quality start for left-hander Mike Minor, who allowed two runs in seven innings. He said the ended stunk, but the Rangers’ spirit hadn’t been crushed.
“I think we’re all positive in here,” Minor said. “Tomorrow’s a new game.”
The Rangers had only one left-handed hitter, Joey Gallo, in their Wednesday lineup as they tried to close their first road trip of the season with a win. Delino DeShields, one of the hitters off to a slow start, topped the batting order.
Asdrubal Cabrera, hitless in his past three games, returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game the day after he flew to Miami to become a U.S. citizen.
Twelve games into a season isn’t enough time to go into panic mode, even when the early-season magnifying glass might make it seem that way.
But Woodward is trying to make sure things don’t begin to snowball. This is his first test as manager.
“It’s a good time for all of us to see who we really are and for me to show the team who I really am,” Woodward said. “I challenge our team all the time, in this regard: When things aren’t going well, who are you?
“I use the analogy, if the house is on fire, are you the guy that runs into the house and tries to save everybody or do you run out of the house and save your own ass?
“This is a good test for all of us.”
This story was originally published April 10, 2019 at 8:49 PM with the headline "Losing skid is Woodward’s first test as Rangers manager. Here’s how he’s trying to ace it."
