Texas Rangers offense lacks ‘fight’ as losses mount and top NL opponents await
A rough patch for the Texas Rangers could be getting rougher.
The Rangers lost for the 11th time in their past 12 games as the Tampa Bay Rays unleashed a torrent of runs late to win, 7-1, at Globe Life Field Sunday afternoon.
The loss was particularly annoying for the Rangers, who led 1-0 for seven innings before the Rays scored three times in the eighth and added another four in the ninth. The entire series was a struggle for the Texas bullpen. The Rays, who have an MLB-best 38 wins, scored 12 of their 14 runs in the series in the eighth and ninth innings. Sunday’s loss is the first time the Rangers have blown a lead after seven innings since the Rays beat them on Sept. 10, 2019.
Even sure-handed shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa committed two errors on Sunday — a throwing error and a deflected liner off his glove — for the first time in his career.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward was quick to defend his Gold Glove infielder, however, but not so much his fledgling offense.
“You didn’t lose this game,” Woodward said to Kiner-Falefa before his last at-bat. “This guy has been the best shortstop in baseball. He’s been our heart and soul every day. We lost that game well before that. Is it frustrating? Yes. But I feel like there were so many at-bats earlier in the game we gave away.”
Woodward is frustrated with an offense he views as lacking competitiveness and diligence during their at-bats, especially with runners in scoring position.
He pointed to the Rays’ Mike Brosseau, who hung tough during a ninth inning pitch-hit appearance against John King. Brosseau was ahead 3-0 before taking two strikes. He then fouled off two pitches, including a 79 mph changeup, before working a walk.
“Some of our guys would have swung through that [changeup],” Woodward said. “We have to get better in those spots. We can’t just give in because we’re looking for a fastball with two strikes. We have to get a little more fight in us. We have to get a little tougher in our at-bats.”
The Rangers host the San Francisco Giants for a two-game set beginning at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday. After a Thursday off, the Rangers start a three-game set Friday against the defending World Series champion Dodgers in Los Angeles.
The Giants have an National League-best 37 wins and have won nine of their past 12 games. They will be without their third baseman Evan Longoria. The veteran will miss the next four to six weeks with a strained left shoulder after colliding with shortstop Brandon Crawford during Saturday’s game.
“I don’t care who we play. Bring on the ’27 Yankees. I don’t care,” Woodward said, while illustrating his point that the Rangers’ offense had plenty of chances to take two of three from the defending American League champion. “I just want to see our guys play their best. And if we get beat, we get beat. You can’t back down. It doesn’t matter what team it is. I don’t care who we play.”
Despite the young and inexperienced roster, Woodward said that’s not an excuse to “give away” at-bats.
“I know there’s going to be growth and they’re young. I get all of that. [But] we’re tougher than that,” he said. “It probably nauseates a lot of people because I always stress how hard they’re working even though they’re not having a ton of results lately.”
And while he defends their work ethic between games, Woodward wants some of that grind to start showing up more from one at-bat to another.
“You have to just grind and fight and do whatever it takes,” he said. “We can’t go down so easy at times. We know what they’re going to do to us. Let’s try to beat it. But when I see a lack of – I think toughness is the right word — we’ve got to get a lot better in those spots, especially when we’ve got guys on base and have a chance to extend the lead.”
This story was originally published June 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
