Rangers Weekly: Could Things Be Any Worse?

Well, the week could not have been much worse for the Rangers, aside from one promising Matt Harrison start. They were swept by Boston at Fenway, giving up 37 runs in three games. That’s bad even for Rangers standards this year. Not even the Rangers offense can come back from that, even though they came close in losing by an improbable 19-17 margin on Tuesday.

That game did tie a record for most runs scored by two teams. Boston scored 10 runs in the first inning, but the Rangers came back to score eight in the fifth and five in the sixth. It still wasn’t enough in the end because usually consistent Frankie Francisco gave up four runs in the bottom of the eighth. David Ortiz hit two home runs in the first inning, a statistic that likely means trouble for any team.

Wednesday’s game was likely the last start for Luis Mendoza, for the year anyway. Mendoza isn’t a true starter, so I’m not disappointed he was sent back down. I am disappointed the move was to activate Kevin Millwood, though, as he hasn't been much better this year. On an interesting note, Ian Kinsler hit the only home run in Wednesday's game. The Rangers lost, 8-4, narrowly avoiding a shutout by scoring four times in the eighth.

The Rangers sent out Tommy Hunter to face Daisuke Matsuzaka Thursday. This game wasn’t even close, as Hunter gave up nine runs in a little more than an inning. On a bright note, the Rangers relievers only gave up one run. Warner Madrigal continued pitching really well of late. (More on Madrigal in my notes.) Bottom line is the Rangers offense was shut out by Matsuzaka and the Red Sox. The Rangers dropped this one by a 10-0 score, marking only the fourth time the Rangers have been shut out all year.

On Friday, Kevin Millwood came back from the DL again this season only to be equally as unsuccessful as he has been all year. As I said before, the best thing the Rangers could do is get rid of Millwood. I heard rumors the Rangers were keeping Millwood around to help mentor the younger pitchers on the staff. That could be nothing short of disastrous, since Millwood is doing so awful. The only way the Rangers win when Millwood is on the mound is when the offense scores five-plus runs. Instead, Texas only managed to get two hits against the Rays Friday, losing, 7-0. Matt Garza of the Rays went the distance in the effort.  

Saturday was by far the best game of the week for the Rangers, not only because they won for the first time, but because of the performance. Matt Harrison pitched a true gem, giving up three hits in eight innings in the 3-0 win for the Rangers. Harrison struck out eight against zero walks, a rare feat for a Rangers pitcher. With the performance, Harrison’s ERA dropped from 7.07 to 5.77. Ian Kinsler hit a home run on the very first pitch he saw, giving the Rangers a leadoff home run in the first inning. Josh Hamilton made a home run-robbing catch in the sixth inning. Edwin Jackson from the Rays pitched well enough to win, giving up only one run in six innings, but the Rays couldn’t get any offense going against the Rangers. The game marked the sixth shutout recorded by the Rangers pitchers.

Sunday capped off the week with another big loss. Vicente Padilla was scratched once more, forcing the Rangers to start Dustin Nippert. It marked the 15th different pitcher the Rangers have started this year, most in the majors. It should be no surprise Nippert struggled, since he is a so-so reliever, anyway. Only to make matters worse, Scott Kazmir was pitching for the Rays. If Kazmir can ever be more efficient on the mound, watch out. Until then, Kazmir is just a really good pitcher. Kameron Loe of the Rangers certainly came back to the majors with his old dominant stuff. Loe pitched four innings of two-hit ball in relief. Dustin Nippert more than likely will be out of a job awhile, at least in the long-reliever role. Interesting note in this game came in the top of the 9th, when the Rays decided to intentionally walk Josh Hamilton with the bases loaded. The Rays did not want to give Hamilton a chance to tie the game with one swing. The Rangers lost, 7-4, bringing them to 1-5 for the week and back below .500 on the season at 62-63 overall.

Other Ranger Notes:

The Rangers are now 0-7 against the Red Sox this year, with all seven games being at Fenway. The Red Sox sweep was the first sweep of the Rangers since late April, and only the fourth time all year. The two teams meet again in September. ... Kinsler had three home runs this week, bringing his total up to 18 for the year. ... The Rangers were able to sign their top draft pick, 6'4" first baseman Justin Smoak, just 15 minutes before the deadline Friday night. ... Josh Hamilton left the game early Wednesday in Boston to make it back to Texas when his wife went into labor. He returned Saturday night. ... Warner Madrigal has given up just one run over nine innings of relief for the month of August.