End-of-season skid hasn’t been pretty for the Rangers. But don’t call them quitters
Shin-Soo Choo launched a monster homer Sunday on the game’s first pitch.
Lance Lynn logged 111 pitches in 5 1/3 innings, striking out 12 batters.
Ronald Guzman, all 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds of him, dived into first base as he tried to reach on an infield single.
Hunter Pence can’t barely turn his shoulders, and Jeff Mathis is walking like he has a broomstick glued to his spine. But they’re both trying to play again this season.
Those aren’t signs of a team that has quit, despite what some fans continue to say about the Texas Rangers.
Some players might be frustrated as losses pile up. Some are overmatched as rookies against some of the best teams in baseball. Some might be worn down after 156 games.
But no one on the team or around the team each day has seen anything resembling quit.
To say as much is uninformed and insulting.
“I don’t sense that at all, just talking to guys and walking around the clubhouse,” manager Chris Woodward said. “I didn’t see anyone with their head down. They’re maybe frustrated, because nobody likes losing.
“These guys have too much to play for. Our whole team, it’s a good group with good character, but we have a lot of younger guys that still have a lot to prove. There’s nothing guaranteed next year for most of our team. I want to see our guys keep competing, and they have.”
Lynn had one choice word in particular to describe the cries that the Rangers are quitting. It’s often seen in large piles at Lone Star Park.
The right-hander knows what he’s seeing. The Rangers are losing, not quitting, as young players are evaluated for 2020. The Rangers’ most productive hitters in the first half, Pence and Joey Gallo, are out of the lineup.
The Houston Astros and Oakland A’s, who combined to hand the Rangers seven straight losses before an 8-3 victory Sunday, have outclassed the undermanned and inexperienced Rangers.
That doesn’t mean players aren’t trying. Does anyone really think Nick Solak or Jose Trevino or Kolby Allard have quit?
Of course not. They’re working as hard as anyone to improve their roster chances for next season, not quitting.
“It’s easy for people to say that when they’re at home on the couch,” Lynn said. “They’ve never played in the big leagues. ... We’re seeing guys trying to figure it out. That’s part of this time of year when you’re not in the playoffs. You’ve got to see what you’ve got for next year. That’s unfortunate, but that’s just the way it goes.”
Veteran players also respect the game too much to take games off. Pence has been urging players to keep it up, to keep battling in an effort to help them get to the finish line. Understanding the grind and experiencing 162 games is part of being a big-leaguer.
The moment a players takes the game for granted is the moment he falls out of favor with management or sees a rookie take his job. Choo has said often that he works hard every day because he doesn’t want a rookie to take his job.
The Rangers had their final off day of the season Monday ahead of the season-ending and Globe Life Park-closing homestand against the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
There is still something to play for in those final six games.
“How many games have we won? Seventy-five,” Choo said. “We can do better than 75, maybe 78. Maybe we win all six games and win .500. That’s my goal. Hopefully it’s everybody’s goal. I believe it is.”
