10 Straight Road Losses Provide Ultimate Gut Check For Young Rangers
Despite an increased effort on Friday night, the Texas Rangers failed to get back into the win column on the road, losing to the Seattle Mariners by a score of 3-2.
It was theRangers' 10th straight loss on the road. You have to go back to May 6 to find their last win away from Arlington, which is enough time to get both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
At least 85 percent of the Rangers Tier 1 personnel have become fully vaccinated. That provides some relaxed protocols, and should make life on the road easier, especially when the club is coming off a season where they owned the worst road record in Major League Baseball.
Now, the Rangers are two losses away from tying the club record for the longest road losing streak, set in 2003.
"Every one of our guys has to look themselves in the mirror and say, 'We're not doing enough to win baseball games,'" said Rangers manager Chris Woodward. "I don't think there's a secret formula. We've just gotta play better."
Prior to Friday night's loss, Woodward spoke of some tangible traits in his team of how the performance on the road has slipped over the past few weeks. No major fixes required, just little things here and there.
The Rangers were not void of those little errors on Friday. Trailing 3-1, the Rangers led off the fifth inning with three consecutive singles from Charlie Culberson, Jose Trevino, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Culberson scored on Kiner-Falefa's hit to pull Texas within a run, but Trevino got hasty and tried to go first-to-third and got caught in a run down.
Woodward preaches aggressive baserunning, but in a more calculated fashion.
“We got three hits in a row and somehow ended up with an out,” Woodward said. “Now the runner is on first base with one out instead of maintaining that pressure. We're not trying to trade an out for a run right there. If it’s first and second, nobody out in that situation, we're in good shape. But to give them an out right there gave them a little bit of momentum.”
Texas was unable to cash in any other runs, which leaves anyone to wonder if the Rangers would have been able to at least tie the game with runners on first and second with nobody out.
One area where the Rangers skipper was satisfied was on the mound. Rangers starter Jordan Lyles turned in his third straight start where he lasted six innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out eight, matching his season-high.
“He's got a lot of confidence in his pitches right now,” Woodward said. “The good thing is, he's finishing games off. That was something I was really keeping a close eye on. He was really strong at the end there. He punched out the last couple guys [he faced] and his stuff looked really sharp, even late in the game, which we hadn't really seen. It’s a good sign.”
The bottom line is the Rangers need innings. With Kyle Gibson and Kohei Arihara on the Injured List, the Rangers are very lacking in options for pitching deep into games, whether it's due to performance or long-term health restrictions.
Lyles has turned in two quality starts in his last three outings, and lowered his ERA from 7.39 on May 1 to 5.79 after Friday night. With him trending in a positive direction, Lyles has suddenly become a vital piece the Rangers need in the starting rotation.
Now, the Rangers just need to win a game. Just one. And in reality, that's how Chris Woodward's team operates. Don't think about the previous game or the one tomorrow. Think about today.
The Rangers have been competitive in the majority of these 10 road losses, and have seen their fair share of bad luck with some hard-hit balls going directly to gloves in the field. However, Chris Woodward wants to see improvement in the things his team can control.
"That's baseball," Woodward said. "We have to look past that. We've gotta do more to win a baseball game. I don't think there's a magic recipe. You've just gotta play better."
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