Texas Rangers’ offense comes up empty as White Sox complete sweep

The South Side was none too kind to the Texas Rangers.

The Chicago White Sox handed the Rangers their first sweep of the season with a 4-1 win Sunday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field.

It’s the first three-game losing streak for Texas since the opening week of the season and the first time to be swept in a three- or four-game series since the Los Angeles Angels swept three last July 3-5.

The Rangers begin a three-game series against the New York Yankees at 7:05 p.m. Monday at Globe Life Park.

They’ll try to snap the skid without their ace Cole Hamels. Hamels was scratched from Monday’s start with a strained left groin. Veteran Cesar Ramos will be called up from Triple A Round Rock to make his first start in the big leagues since May 17, 2014.

Pitching, however, wasn’t necessarily the issue in Chicago. White Sox pitchers held the Rangers to four total runs in the series and were especially tough with runners on base. Texas batters were 3 for 17 with runners in scoring position and stranded 20 base runners in the series.

“We faced a really good pitching staff,” Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre said. “No excuses, we should be better. Some plays didn’t go our way but that’s baseball. Even though we played some decent games here we’re not happy with the results.

“We just didn’t get the big hit in the big situations. We created some situations where we could have taken advantage and we didn’t. Our pitching staff kept us in the games, that’s for sure. We had good chances in all three games.”

Sunday’s starter Derek Holland allowed three runs on five hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings.

In the fifth, a lead-off walk, Brett Lawrie’s double and a wild pitch allowed the White Sox to take a 2-1 lead. Lawrie moved to third on the wild pitch and scored to make it 3-1 on Dioner Navarro’s sacrifice fly.

“They’re big league hitters and a pretty good ballclub,” said Holland, who dropped to 2-1 with the loss. “A few pitches got away from where I was executing and they found the hole. My defense was making the plays for me. I just have to do a better job of lasting longer into the game.”

Alex Claudio replaced Holland after a one-out single in the seventh. Chicago added another run in the eighth on Lawrie’s single up the middle.

In six innings Sunday, the Rangers stranded runners at second. And in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings they left a man at third.

Ian Desmond, who was 3 for 4, singled to start the sixth, stole second, and moved to third on Elvis Andrus’ second single of the game with one out. White Sox starter Mat Latos escaped, however, as Ryan Rua’s 105 mph shot back to the mound started a 1-4-3 inning-ending double play.

“That was the key, especially today. We were able to create a lot of opportunities but we weren’t able to capitalize,” said Andrus, who along with Desmond accounted for seven of the Rangers’ 15 combined hits Saturday and Sunday.

Nobody is probably more happy to get out of Chicago than Mitch Moreland. He was 1 for 12 in the series and had multiple RBI opportunities spoiled by superb White Sox defensive plays. His line shot to right Friday night looked like a two-run double before Adam Eaton made an excellent running catch to turn it into a triple play.

“We hit some balls hard but we didn’t get it to bounce our way,” said Moreland, who scorched a ball that Lawrie stabbed for a forceout in the 11th inning Saturday.

“It was just one of those series. They did a good job of keeping us out of those big innings. We had a chance to make it happen and either they made a great play or we hit a ball right at somebody, or the pitchers did their job and kind of kept us at bay.”

Nomar Mazara homered in the first inning to put the Rangers up 1-0. Navarro’s homer to left in the third tied it at 1-1.

This story was originally published April 24, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Texas Rangers’ offense comes up empty as White Sox complete sweep."