Rangers Rocked By Astros, Drop Fourth Straight Game
The first three time the Texas Rangers played a four-game series, they went 3-1 each time.
That will not be the case in Houston.
The Rangers were walloped by the Astros on Friday night by a score of 10-4. Houston got to Rangers starter Wes Benjamin early, forcing him to leave the game after only 1 2/3 innings. Benjamin earned three runs, while Brett de Geus followed with four earned runs in just 1/3 inning.
In the two combined innings between Benjamin and de Geus, the pair walked five batters. That's something that manager Chris Woodward has very little patience for.
"It's something we harp on quite a bit," said Woodward. "These guys aren't going to chase. When you don't attack these guys, they're gonna hurt you."
Benjamin made his first start of the 2021 season, which was also the second of his big league career. He was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock earlier this season after struggling to find the strike zone, and the same symptoms showed up on Friday, walking three batters in less than two innings of work.
Benjamin is known to be a pitcher who attacks the strike zone. That reputation, along with some good execution of pitches this spring, earned him a spot in the tandem roles in the rotation at the beginning of the season. How he is able to adjust from here on out is paramount for his growth and development.
"It's frustrating," Benjamin said. "I started getting a little too fine on the corners . . . I was trying to strike out a team that doesn't strike out a lot."
Hyeon-jong Yang and Taylor Hearn helped save the bullpen, combining for six innings to finish out the game. Hearn was most impressive, logging two shutout innings and was the only Texas hurler to not walk a batter.
The six-run margin is the second-worst loss of the season for the Rangers. Only a seven-run loss on April 3 to the Kansas City Royals is a worse differential.
While there wasn't much to celebrate on the offensive end, Adolis García launched his 10th home run of the season. Eight of his homers have come on the road, which is second to only Miami's Jesus Aguilar (nine). García's 10 homers are also five more than any other Major League rookies this season.
The Rangers (18-22) will try to salvage the series against the Astros (22-17) on Saturday. Dane Dunning (2-2, 3.78 ERA) will take the ball for the Rangers, squaring off with Houston's Luis Garcia (0-3, 3.60 ERA).
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