ARLINGTON — The question to Bruce Bochy was about the Rangers being eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday after a 4-1 loss to Minnesota.
His answer was not about that.
“This was probably our worst game,” Bochy said. “We looked at it. I know we’ve got some injuries and things, but we just just couldn’t get anything going, made too many mistakes. We’ve got to do a better job of hitting the field; we as a staff have to make sure they do that. That’s not going to work tonight.
“We dealt with a tough week with the play. This is not how we want to finish. And so we’ll find out here over the next few games, who’s going to be out there ready to go.”
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He never explicitly mentioned the word “effort,” or the lack of it. But you got the message. So, apparently, did the team, most of which streamed out of the clubhouse quickly after the loss.
“I just think the intensity has got to get up here,” Bochy said. “I really feel that during this game, maybe some focus wasn’t there, like it needs to be.”
It’s extremely unusual for Bochy to call his team out like that. He’s been frustrated with losses and mistakes over his three seasons, but rarely, if ever, has he treaded on “intensity” and “focus.”
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Then again, those players that remained in the clubhouse weren’t disagreeing with the manager.
“We’ve got to keep our focus,” said catcher Kyle Higashioka. “We’re not playing for much, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to go out and play our best. We’ve got to play the way we are capable. We’ve got to stay focused for the sake of integrity. We owe it to the fans and to each other to do that.”
Said Wyatt Langford: “Tonight was pretty tough. It’s been a pretty rough go. We kind of put ourselves in a really big hole, and now, at this point, I think we’re all just pretty frustrated. But we’ve still got a job to do — go out there and play the right way.”
If they need any motivation, well, there is a still a winning record in play if they can somehow win three of their final five. And there is also potential negative reinforcement as well: If the Rangers don’t get back up, they are looking at the possibility of a 13-game losing streak to end the season. That would be the worst finish in team history and it would be a burden to carry throughout the offseason, too.
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