Why a career-high in strikeouts wasn’t the most important thing Minor did for Rangers
Former manager Ron Washington used to get fired up after a position player had pitched against his Texas Rangers and the hitters didn’t do very well.
Back in his playing days, Wash would say, he knew it was time rake when a non-pitcher was on the mound. A shameless padding of stats? Absolutely.
The Rangers faced one Saturday night against the Seattle Mariners, former Rangers seventh-round pick Dylan Moore. The first five reached before Moore, an infielder, recorded an out in the ninth inning, and the Rangers scored four times.
Wait ... a position player pitched against the Rangers?
It must have been a good night for them.
Here’s some Rangers Reaction from a 15-1 victory that snapped a five-game losing streak.
1. Any starting pitcher will admit how easy it is to pitch with five-, seven-, eight- and nine-run leads. Mike Minor, though, said that he feels some pressure to not blow it.
Still, a large cushion makes it easier for a pitcher to attack the opposing lineup and make hitters put the ball in play. When a pitcher has good stuff, it really makes for a really hard day for the team trying to mount a rally.
No one has to tell that to the Mariners.
Minor was in command throughout, commanding all of his pitches en route allowing only one run three hits while striking out a career-high 13.
The 13 Ks also tied a single-game franchise for a left-hander, previously done by Jamie Moyer and Cliff Lee.
Minor pitching into the seventh inning, and that length was exactly what the Rangers have been needing. They also needed a win after losing five straight.
Minor produced the kind of start that a team’s best starter is supposed to deliver when his team is under duress.
“I wanted to take him out after six,” manager Chris Woodward said. “He was like, “I’ve got another one.’ He said, ‘No we need it.’ “
Minor confirmed that the skid and the bullpen usage were on his mind as he navigated through the Mariners’ lineup. He threw 111 pitches, 13 in the seventh as he struck out two.
He continues to have good success with his changeup, but his ability to pitcher deeper in games is the result of using his entire arsenal this season after feeling limited with is in 2018.
“I felt like I was always a two-pitch guy even though I had the other pitches,” Minor said. “This year I wanted to use them all.”
It wasn’t a complete day off for the bullpen, but it was their lightest load since Minor worked six innings Monday at Oakland. Ariel Jurado, recalled Friday, worked the final two innings.
But all hands should be available for the series finale, which will end a seven-game road trip. The Rangers won’t go home winless, thanks in large part to Minor.
“We haven’t played that well, so we really needed a win tonight,” he said.
2. Of course, he had help.
“Early on, what was it, two three-run homers?” Minor said.
Why, yes it was. Elvis Andrus hit one in the first, and Rougned Odor hit one in the second. The Rangers finished with 10 extra-base hits, including a seven-high seven doubles, and they failed to score in only two innings.
It was a remarkable output for a team that had scored the second-fewest road runs and only a .388 slugging percentage away from home. Andrus said that the Rangers have been swinging well but getting unlucky.
“We needed it,” he said. “That was an amazing game for us to hopefully carry this momentum into tomorrow. I believe we’ve been swing well. We talked today as a unit about keep swinging. Things are going to fall through.”
Woodward said that the offense’s approach as been the on the road as at home, where the Rangers have the most runs in the league. Whether it is great defensive plays being made against them or just good position by opponents, the hits haven’t been falling.
More than anything, Rangers hitters needed to see that the process they’ve been asked to follow this season works.
“To see our offense to get off to the start it did, just to continue the at-bats and not give in, hopefully it will turn into more as we get going,” Woodward said.
3. Logan Forsythe was in the video room late Friday night as the media exited the clubhouse, and he was in the same spot Saturday afternoon when the media returned.
The assumption is he went to the team hotel at some point. I hear the Motel 6 in Downtown Seattle is very nice.
“I’ve got to get my sleep,” he said.
It looked as if Forsythe was stewing after he mishandled an 11th-inning grounder that turned into the game-winning RBI rather than a potential game-extending double play. He also went 0 for 3 and stranded four runners, but he didn’t have an extra oomph going into Saturday.
“I’m always motivated,” he said.
Forsythe is a veteran who knows that the next game brings a new opportunity. He started again Saturday and had hits in his first three at-bats and drove in two runs. He later doubled to finish 4 for 6.
The bench had a solid game, combining to go 9 for 17 with seven RBIs, five doubles and three runs. Danny Santana had two of the doubles, and Hunter Pence broke his string of bad luck with two hits and three RBIs.
Forsythe and Santana have received steady at-bats after injuries to Odor, Ronald Guzman and Asdrubal Cabrera. They will likely play Sunday as Odor sits and Cabrera returns from two days off his tight left calf.
Guzman (right hamstring) likely won’t until either next weekend against Toronto or May 7 at Pittsburgh. There are at-bats to be had for both of them, as they both can play first base.
(Forsythe has the clear edge in experience and is better than Santana, who played there for the first time the past two games.)
Pence continues to get two or three games a week as Woodward rotates players through the DH spot for days off the field.
The reserves have stayed productive because of the extra playing time but also the consistent playing time they had before rash of injuries. Forsythe said that credit for thaht goes to Woodward, a career-long bench player.
But they know that Guzman is coming back soon and that their playing time will shrink.
Forsythe said that he and Pence have talked about that and how they will handle it going forward. Their plan is to keeping doing what they’ve been doing and help out the regulars however they can.
That means more time in the video room for Forsythe.
“I’m always in there,” he said. “I’m trying to find an approach, stay in the process and find a way to help the team.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2019 at 12:25 AM.
