Rangers at Giants Pre-Game Notes: Santana to 10-Day IL, Offense Seeking a Spark
The Texas Rangers enter Sunday afternoon looking to avoid a sweep and get a little closer to .500 before they travel across the bay to take on their division rival Athletics.
Texas Rangers (2-5) @ San Francisco Giants (5-4)
Sunday, August 2, 2020
3:05 p.m. CT
Oracle Park | San Francisco, CA
Probables
TEX: LHP Kolby Allard (0-0, -.-- ERA)
vs
SF: RHP Jeff Samardzija (0-1, 11.25 ERA)
Broadcast
Texas RangersTV: FOX Sports Southwest
Radio: 105.3 The Fan, KFLC
San Francisco Giants
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR
Texas Rangers Starting Lineup
- LF Shin-Soo Choo
- SS Elvis Andrus
- DH Willie Calhoun
- RF Joey Gallo
- 1B Todd Frazier
- 2B Nick Solak
- CF Scott Heineman
- 3B Isiah Kiner-Falefa
- C Jeff Mathis
San Francisco Giants Starting Lineup
- RF Austin Slater
- 1B Wilmer Flores
- CF Mike Yastrzemski
- LF Hunter Pence
- 3B Evan Longoria
- 2B Donovan Solano
- DH Darin Ruf
- C Chadwick Tromp
- SS Brandon Crawford
Injury Report
Rougned Odor (right oblique tightness)
He saw a doctor in San Francisco on Saturday night, which was described by GM Jon Daniels as a "pretty unremarkable" exam. It doesn’t appear he pulled a muscle, but he does have some tightness in his oblique area. It does not appear it’s a significant issue at this point. Manager Chris Woodward is hopeful Odor will be available when the Rangers travel across the bay to take on Oakland this week.
Danny Santana (10-day IL: forearm tightness)
Jon Daniels said this morning he was hopeful Santana would be able to avoid an IL stint. However, the Rangers placed him on the 10-day IL early Sunday afternoon retroactive to July 30. He is supposed to start a throwing program this week.
Joely Rodriguez (10-day IL: lat muscle strain)
He traveled with the team on the road trip. He's throwing live batting practice on Sunday and could be available to return during the Oakland series this week.
Rafael Montero (10-day IL: forearm tightness)
He did not travel with the team. He's still in his throwing program. It could be a little while longer before he is ready to rejoin the team.
Corey Kluber (45-day IL: shoulder tear)
Believe it or not, it's been a week since Kluber injured his shoulder. He is shut down for four weeks and went back to his home in Boston during this time.
José Leclerc (45-day IL: shoulder tear)
Leclerc has the same prognosis as Kluber. He is shut down for four weeks before any throwing.
Woodward on Offensive Struggles: "We've Got to Take It One Day at a Time"
Chris Woodward has a daunting task in kickstarting the offense after a dreadful start. The Rangers aren't the only offense struggling. Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has discussed similar issues with his ball club about hitters trying to do too much at the plate.
I asked Woodward if there's any way to simplify things for hitters while they try to navigate the challenges on and off the diamond.
“I don’t know, you tell me," Woodward laughed. "If you’ve got the answer to that, that’s the lifelong question in hitting.
"Honestly, we’ve just gotta be resilient. That’s the word I’ve used the most. Be relentless in what we’re trying to do. It’s hard. In a 60-game season, urgency and panic are really close together. I just don’t want any of our guys to feel like their expectations are greater than what is actually possible."
The 60-game season demands urgency. Games mean much more than they normally do. With no fans in attendance, there's no familiarity even in high leverage games. Without having to rewrite the script or throw out the whole playbook, which is nearly impossible mid-season, the Rangers may have to dial back the urgency just a bit to gain some clarity.
"We’ve got to take it one day at a time, one at-bat at a time. Its really difficult. Its going to challenge us. Whatever you want to call it—is it worse-case scenario, I don’t know—but, who cares? We’ve gotta deal with it. We’ve gotta take it head on. As a staff, as players, that’s all we’re asking. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to get out of it.”
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