First tight spot without Jose Leclerc in ninth inning a disaster for Texas Rangers
Aug. 4 is a big one in Texas Rangers history, and two significant anniversaries involving Nolan Ryan were observed Tuesday.
On Aug. 4, 1993, Ryan turned Robin Ventura’s head into a punching bag, when the Chicago White Sox third baseman decided to charge Ryan after getting plunked at Arlington Stadium.
Ryan put Ventura in a headlock and went to town. At one point Tuesday, it was trending on Twitter.
But it was a different battle Ryan was a part of Aug. 4, 2010, when the Rangers were in bankruptcy and he was part of a group of investors headed by Chuck Greenberg that had to bring a big checkbook to a courthouse auction in Fort Worth.
The other group was headed by Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks owner, and Jim Crane, then known as a Houston-based businessman.
The sides went back and forth, late into the night. Ultimately, a bid of $593 million made the Cuban-Crane group yell, “Uncle.”
The Rangers went to the World Series for the first time that year, went again in 2011, and have made three playoff appearances since. Crane eventually bought the Houston Astros.
In this era of what have you done for me lately, though, the Rangers have disappointed the past three seasons under an ownership group that dumped Greenberg and Ryan long ago.
The Rangers’ start to the season has been a disappointment. They were at Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday trying to get moving in the right direct.
Here’s some Rangers Reaction from a 5-1 walk-off loss to the Oakland A’s.
Bullpen dilemma
The shoulder injurythat brought Jose Leclerc last week became even more painful for the Rangers the ninth inning.
Edinson Volquez, pitching the ninth for a second straight game, opened by allowing a walk, a single and a walk. He got the fourth hitter, though, and manager Chris Woodward turned to Jesse Chavez after Volquez threw only 9 of 20 of his pitches for strikes.
The thought was a Chavez sinker would induce a threat-ending double-play grounder and get the Rangers to those funky extra-inning rules.
Instead, Chavez’s first pitch was launched 400-plus feet by Stephen Piscotty for a grand slam.
“If Volquez was throwing the ball over the plate, I would have let him try to get out of it,” Woodward said. “We’ve got to get someone in there and at least make them earn it.”
Maybe a healthy Leclerc pitches the ninth. Maybe he doesn’t, with the game on the road. But he’s a more desirable choice than Volquez or Chavez there.
Jonathan Hernandez tossed the 1 2/3 innings prior on only 20 pitches, but Woodward did not want to send him out again. Woodward could have saved Hernandez for the ninth, but Hernandez was the best choice to get the Rangers to the ninth.
For now, Woodward is committed to Hernandez-Volquez to finish off opponents, but the situation is fluid. He likes Volquez because he has the experience to handle all situations, and the stuff has been good when he’s commanded it.
He just didn’t do that Tuesday.
“This outing makes me open my eyes a little bit when we get to that position,” Woodward said. “But I still trust Volky. Volky’s been through a lot. I trust that he’s going to throw the ball over the plate and execute pitches when we need it. Tonight was just, maybe, an off-night for him.”
Neither Hernandez nor Volquez will be available Wednesday should the Rangers have a late lead. Chavez should be, but so will Nick Goody and the recently activated left-hander Joely Rodriguez.
Someone will pitch.
“We’ve just got to come back tomorrow and just fight,” Woodward said.
Lynn keeps pumping
Someone finally figured out Lance Lynn, though it took 18 innings this season.
Matt Chapman started the seventh inning with an opposite-field home run, the first run 2020 run allowed by the Rangers’ Opening Day starter. Lynn didn’t say the terrific third baseman got lucky, at least not directly.
“He swung through it 12 times in his career, so you tip your cap,” Lynn said. “He did a good job getting on top of it.”
Lynn faced two more hitters, retiring one of them, before Woodward came to get him at 107 pitches. Lynn seemed pretty ticked by the whole thing, but yet again he gave the Rangers a chance.
That’s what a starting pitcher is supposed to do, and Lynn has done that as well as just about any pitcher in the game dating to before the 2019 All-Star break.
Lynn allowed three hits and three walks while striking out seven against the A’s. The one run gave him an ERA, 0.49. The 107 pitches marked his 27th consecutive start with more than 100, the longest active streak in baseball.
The Rangers didn’t have many chances to give him run support. Joey Gallo dropped a bunt hit with two outs in the sixth, beating an infield shift, and scored as Todd Frazier followed with a double.
Frazier was out in a rundown, the second out the Rangers made with a runner in scoring position. Isiah Kiner-Falefa was thrown out in the third for the second after trying to advance on a ball in the dirt.
The Rangers scored one or two runs for the sixth time in nine games this season. They are 1-5 in those games.
“A loss is always going to hurt no matter what,” Lynn said. “He put a good swing on the ball and hit a grand slam. That’s baseball.”
Calhoun still shaky
Jesus Luzardo is young, but the A’s left-hander is one of the best young pitchers in baseball. As such, he makes things particularly difficult on lefty hitters.
That’s why the Rangers had only one of them, Gallo, in the batting order.
Guess what? The A’s are throwing another lefty, Sean Manaea, on Wednesday.
Willie Calhoun bats left-handed, so don’t expect to see him in the starting lineup until Thursday against right-hander Mike Fiers. But there’s more at play with Calhoun’s absences than just the left-on-left thing.
Calhoun admitted that he is still somewhat gun shy against some lefties five months after he was hit in the face by a 95-mph fastball from Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Julio Urias.
“Getting back in there against lefties, I always have that thought in the back of my head about getting hit the face,” Calhoun said. “So, I’m trying to think a little bit slow on lefties right now. I’m slowly getting that the confidence back against lefties and sure over time it’ll wear off.”
Woodward said he is conscious of Calhoun’s hesitancy, and they have discussed the issue. Woodward essentially said it would be really jerkish of him to not consider what Calhoun might be feeling.
Calhoun, meantime, called Woodward “a sick manager play for.”
That’s a good thing.
Also good? Calhoun gained confidence Sunday with a tie-breaking sacrifice fly off San Francisco Giants lefty Tyler Anderson.
It’s a tough spot for Woodward, though. If Calhoun is going to get comfortable against lefties again, he needs to face them.
“He’s dealing with it. He’s dealt with it. We’ll have to continue to deal with it,” Woodward said. “He wants to play all the time, obviously, and he’s a tough kid, but I know I’ve got to do the best thing for him at times.”
