The Texas Rangers scored a run but the Athletics scored seven runs.
Hard to believe this game was tied heading into the ninth for a couple of reasons. The obvious one is a 7-1 final score would lead one to assume the Rangers were losing big all night. The other is that the Rangers themselves should have been leading big all night.
No one should expect Texas to score 15 runs every night. The issues that have plagued what was then the worst offense in baseball can’t realistically be solved in one evening. As fun as it was to see the bats break out, there’s obviously still work to be done.
Case in point, here we are 24 hours later and the Rangers scored one run. It’s an even worse output than when they were averaging three runs per game as the league’s most scuffling group.
Maybe it’s encouraging that they had a plethora of chances when thinking back on the evenings when they didn’t even accomplish that. But going 1-for-11 with RISP and leaving 11 on base is its own brand of miserable and we’ve gotten our fair share of both flavors already a month into this thing.
No worries. Only like five more months to go!
Player of the Game: Nathan Eovaldi was tonight’s unfortunate Texas Rangers pitcher who pitched really well (6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K) only to get shafted by the rest of the roster.
Up Next: The Rangers and Athletics finish off this series with RHP Tyler Mahle set to make the start for Texas opposite LHP Jeffrey Springs, the former Ranger.
The first pitch in Thursday’s finale from The Shed is scheduled for 1:35 pm CT and will be aired via the Rangers Sports Network.