Thoughts on a 2-1 Rangers win – Lone Star Ball
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Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
Rangers 2, Rockies 1
That was nerve-wracking.
Tyler Mahle was good once again, but allowed a run in the second inning in unfortunate fashion, as, with two outs and a runner on first, he apparently got his spike caught on the mound or something and had to abort his delivery, resulting in the runner going to second on a balk. No big deal, except someone named Nick Martini then singled home the run, giving Colorado a 1-0 lead.
Mahle pretty much had everything in control from that point on, and when he left the game, with one out in the seventh, the Rangers had taken the lead. No issues, right?
Yeah, except that the Rangers were being no-hit for much of the interim. By Chase Dollander, who is, on the one hand, a very highly regarded pitching prospect, a high 2023 pick out of the University of Tennessee and consensus top 25 prospect heading into this season, but who is also, on the other hand, someone who was sporting a 7+ ERA heading into the game.
And it was a game where the Rangers were without both Corey Seager, who sat again due to his ongoing hamstring issues, and Josh Smith, who was out of the starting lineup with what Bruce Bochy said was a “back thing.” Ezequiel Duran got the nod at shortstop, instead, which I know fills everyone with optimism.
So, yeah, there was angst and anxiety and we were filled with dread at the idea of being no hit, at home, by one a team that appears to be making a run at being the worst team in modern MLB history. Not going to fill folks with good cheer at the start of a homestand.
Wyatt Langford wiped all that away, however, breaking up the no hitter, the shutout, and the Rockies’ lead with a two out, two run homer in the bottom of the sixth, a no doubter into the bullpen in right center. That was all the runs that the Rangers would get, but as it turned out, it was also all they needed.
Texas picked up two more hits in the game, one by Jake Burger, who fanned on three pitches his first time up but hit a couple of bullets his next two times up, and one by Josh Jung. And there was a little bit of bad luck for the Rangers, as they made some good contact — Statcast had their xBA at .262 for the game, compared to a .181 for the Rockies, who had a whopping six hits — but we aren’t going to dwell on the offense.
Well, other than to say that Josh Jung had a barrel with one out in the fifth that went for a fly out, and Jake Burger followed that up with a line drive to left center that seemed like a sure hit, possibly a double, except Brenton Doyle made a diving catch on it, one of those plays that makes you think, damn, maybe the Rangers aren’t going to get a hit today.
We should dwell some on the pitching, though, and in particular Luke Jackson, who was knocked out of the game by a Ryan McMahon line drive back up the middle that hit him in his right hand. Jackson hasn’t been terribly effective this season but he is, you know, the closer, and you probably don’t want him missing time.
Interestingly, this play was on the heels of Chris Martin snagging a Brenton Doyle liner back up the middle the inning before,
Anyway, Jacob Webb was asked to protect a one run lead with a runner on first, and made bootyholes pucker by giving up a single and then issuing a walk after retiring the first batter he faced. But he got a weak grounder to third, with Josh Jung being able to touch third and throw to first for a game ending 5-3 GIDP, and we were all able to smile and be happy and hear some celebratory Pat Green.
Tyler Mahle hit 93.7 mph with his fastball, averaging 91.6 mph. Robert Garcia reached 95.6 mph with his fastball. Chris Martin’s fastball touched 94.9 mph. Luke Jackson threw one pitch, a curveball, before leaving the game. Jacob Webb’s fastball topped out at 94.3 mph.
Wyatt Langford had a 106.7 mph home run. Jake Burger had a 105.4 mph line out and a 103.6 mph single. Evan Carter had a 103.4 mph ground out. Josh Jung had a 102.7 mph fly out. Joc Pederson had a 100.1 mph line out.
The Rangers have won three in a row.
