Disastrous Ninth Inning Spoils Arihara's Return As Rangers Drop Final Game vs Rockies
ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward said his team flirted with disaster all game. In the ninth inning on Wednesday afternoon, the dam broke.
The Rangers were defeated by the Colorado Rockies by a score of 9-5 in the final game of a three-game series. Texas led 5-4 heading into the final inning, but the Rangers fell apart fundamentally.
Not only did they allow five runs to score in the ninth, they committed four errors in the frame, with first baseman Nathaniel Lowe registering three of them. The four error ties the franchise record for the most an an inning, while Lowe's three set a new club record.
The Rangers got off to a fast start, scoring all five of their runs in the second inning of the ballgame. Yohel Pozo broke the scoreless tie with a bases-loaded single, driving in one run. Leody Taveras followed with a two-run double into the left-center gap and Isiah Kiner-Falefa added two more runs with a single to right field.
In addition, Kohei Arihara — who missed the last few months after undergoing surgery to repair an aneurysm in his left shoulder — pitched very well in his first outing since May 8. He was on a tight pitch count, but pushed that limit when he remained perfect through 3 1/3 innings. Brendan Rodgers took away any notions of letting Arihara chase history with a solo homer in the fourth inning.
Arihara ended up with just the one run allowed on the one hit while walking none and striking out three.
However, the bullpen failed to lock the game down. Wes Benjamin and Demarcus Evans both struggled, allowing Colorado to climb back within a run. The trio of Nick Snyder, Jharel Cotton and Josh Sborz kept the Rangers ahead through eight innings before the calamity in the ninth inning.
What's Next
The Rangers (47-86) are off on Thursday. They begin a nine-game road trip to the West Coast on Friday night, starting with a four-game series in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels (66-67).
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