Rangers reaction ready to move on after shutout

The Rangers were shut out for the sixth time in 2016 Saturday night and first time since Aug. 5 against the Astros in Houston. Lefty Dallas Keuchel threw a complete game that day. Saturday it was Tigers’ left-hander Matt Boyd who held the Rangers scoreless on two hits over seven innings.

Texas and Detroit play the finale at 2 p.m. Sunday so it’s another day game following a night, the third this week. I’m going to keep this Reaction brief out of respect for your time and the fact that I need to get home to give my cat his thyroid pill. Oh, the life of a sports writer.

Three quick thoughts from Saturday night’s 2-0 loss:

1. Student becomes master — Boyd, 25, looked a whole lot like a young Cole Hamels for much of his seven innings Saturday night. Hamels, who battled around 14 hits and three walks and took the loss tipped his cap out of respect for Boyd’s two-hit performance. Hamels said Boyd is more advance than he was in his second second in the majors because of a hard-diving slider he showed off.

“I’d say he was probably even better. He has a slider,” Hamels said. “That slider is a devastating pitch and he definitely showed that with how he was throwing it. It was more like a Cliff Lee approach.”

2. Shut down — The Rangers offense has been held to fewer than four hits in a game seven times in ‘16, including three hits Saturday. If it wasn’t for Adrian Beltre’s ninth-inning single (he had two of the three hits) it would have been the first time they were held to two hits in a game this season. Three of their three-hit games have come since Aug. 2. The Mariners pitched a one-hitter against the Rangers on Opening Day, but six walks helped the Rangers win 3-2.

3. Could be something — Keone Kela threw two scoreless innings of relief for the second time this season. The first time was July 29 against the Royals. The consecutive innings and career-high 37 pitches could mean a welcomed flexibility in the bullpen down the stretch for manager Jeff Banister. Kela never went more than 1 1/3 as a rookie in 2015. He did that five times and maxed out at 30 pitches. Kela walked two but struck out three and held the Tigers hitless.

This story was originally published August 14, 2016 at 1:05 AM with the headline "Rangers reaction ready to move on after shutout."