Another Kyle Gibson start results in another Texas Rangers loss as they miss sweep
Kyle Gibson’s woes in his first season with the Texas Rangers continued Thursday.
Jared Walsh hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Mike Trout added a solo shot in the fifth as the Los Angeles Angels avoided a three-game sweep at Globe Life Field with 6-2 victory over the Rangers.
Gibson surrendered both homers and five two-out runs in 5 2/3 innings, and his ERA after nine starts is 6.14. The Rangers have won only once in games started by Gibson, who signed a three-year, $28 million contract in the offseason.
While the Angels collected 10 hits against the right-hander, the two big ones came on poorly located 85-mph changeups. The Angels’ first-inning rally came with two outs and the bases empty.
“I feel like two outs has been my nemesis all year,” Gibson said. “With that situation with Walsh, I fell behind 2-1 and probably threw the worst changeup of the day. It could be I’m not getting ahead of guys, but it’s something I’m definitely going to look into.”
The Rangers quickly cut into the Angels’ lead as Leody Taveras led off the first with a triple and scored as Rougned Odor followed with a grounder to second base.
But that was just about all Angels righty Dylan Bundy would allow over the next six innings.
The Rangers managed only two other hits, one of them a seventh-inning single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, before getting to Bundy in the eighth.
Derek Dietrich started the inning with a walk and scored as Anderson Tejeda followed with a triple. However, Bundy struck out Jeff Mathis, and reliever Mike Mayers struck out Taveras and retired Odor on a fly out to strand the runner and effectively end the Rangers’ chances.
“He pitched really well,” Woodward said of Bundy. “He executed a lot of pitches, and that makes it tough on us as hitters. I do tip my cap. He pitched really well.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 6:12 PM.
