Rangers Week Two Review: Return Home Flops

After a 3-0 start at home and a 3-3 start to the season, the Rangers couldn’t stop the bleeding right away, going 2-4 in the second week of play.

The team lost their first two games of the home stand to bring their losing streak at the time to five games. 

The team lost both series against the Orioles and Royals, dropping the overall record to 5-7.

The good news for the Rangers is that they are currently tied for second in the AL West with the Oakland A’s, both 2.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners, with the Angels bringing up the rear at 4-8.

Monday: L, 9-10 (3-4)

Vicente Padilla struggled in his second outing of the year, allowing seven runs on 11 hits in only 3.1 innings pitched.  Down 10-4 going into the bottom of the sixth, the Rangers rallied to score three in the inning and another two in the seventh.  But a running error by Ian Kinsler in the ninth cost the Rangers the opportunity to tie the game.

Tuesday: L, 5-7 (10) (3-5)

The Rangers wasted a quality start from Brandon McCarthy (6 IP, 3 ER, 5 K) by only going 2-9 with runners in scoring position.  In the 10th reliable reliever Eddie Guardado allowed four earned runs, highlighted by an Adam Jones two-run homer.

Wednesday: W, 19-6 (4-5)

On the day honoring the great Jackie Robinson, Ian Kinsler played a lot like Jackie when he became the first player since 1890 to have a six-hit cycle in a nine-inning game.  Marlon Byrd also had a five-hit night, Nelson Cruz had a grand slam and six RBI, and three Rangers (Kinsler, Andruw Jones, and Elvis Andrus) each scored at least four runs.

Thursday: OFF

Friday: L, 3-12 (4-6)

Royals starter Gil Meche threw six shutout innings and the struggling Royal offense blasted the Ranger pitching for 12 runs and 19 hits, including seven for extra-bases.  The Rangers scored three runs in the final two innings with solo home runs from Hank Blalock, Marlon Byrd, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Saturday: L, 0-2 (4-7)

In a predicted pitchers’ duel Rangers’ Kevin Millwood and Royals’ Zack Greinke both delivered.  Greinke got the complete game shutout, holding the Rangers to only seven hits, walking none, and striking out ten.  Millwood also pitched all nine innings, allowing only eight base-runners and two earned runs. 

Sunday: W, 6-5 (5-7)

After another shaky outing from Padilla, the Rangers offense rallied in the late innings when trailing 5-3 going into the bottom of the eighth. 

The Rangers lead off the eighth with an Andruw Jones double, following Blalock reaching on an error, a Cruz groundout to second scored Jones.  Chris Davis’s pinch-hit, two-out single scored Blalock from second on a spectacular slide at the plate. 

The game was cemented in the bottom of the ninth when Michael Young took the second pitch of the inning from Kyle Farnesworth and deposited it into the left-center field bleachers.

This upcoming week the Rangers have Monday off while traveling north of the border for a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, followed by a four-game series in Baltimore.