'Superman': Three Takeaways From Rangers' Impressive Win Over Mariners
In the grand scheme of things, Thursday night's 8-6 win over the Seattle Mariners counts the same as any other notch in the win column for the Texas Rangers. By the time September rolls around, we may or may not remember this game.
But, man, what a win.
The Rangers had their backs against the wall. They had lost five straight, and no matter what your expectations were for this team, few saw this club going 2-9 in its first 11 games of the season. The Rangers not only had to overcome a 5-0 deficit right off the bat, they had to come through once again in the ninth inning in order to stop the bleeding.
"Everything we've been through, having lost the last five games and our record is what it is, these guys didn't quit. Everybody picked each other up," said manager Chris Woodward. "It was a good team win and exactly what I've been asking our guys to do, and that's to fight. Things haven'e gone the way we wanted to start. Maybe it's for the best. Maybe it gives us a little bit of an edge for the rest of the year."
Lindsey Wasson-USA TODAY Sports
Lindsey Wasson-USA TODAY Sports
Lindsey Wasson-USA TODAY Sports
Kole-Blooded
So far, the $515.2 million spent to upgrade the lineup has not produced as expected. Marcus Semien is off to a slow start, though he is trending upward. Kole Calhoun, who is mostly limited to a platoon role, was slashing .185/.241/.185/.427 with no extra-base hits heading into Thursday's action.
But when Calhoun followed a sensational at-bat from Adolis García in a 6-6 game in the ninth inning (more on that shortly), he came through by slashing a liner down the right field line, which scored the game's deciding run.
Fans might not realize it yet due to lack of on-field production, but Calhoun is quickly becoming a prominent leader on this team. In turn, Calhoun being the guy to come through in the clutch hit different in the dugout.
"It means everything to our guys," Woodward said. "Our guys love him. He's kinda the heart and soul of the team. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. ... He's been upset at himself. He wants to perform better. He wants to help the team. Today, for him to be the guy that wins the game for us, it was perfect."
'Superman'
Adolis García coming through in the clutch is not a new trend. It happened plenty in his exciting-yet-volatile rookie campaign. However, him laying off pitches he typically chased last year to draw a key two-out walk is a new development.
We witnessed more plate discipline from 'El Bombi' in spring training. But laying off pitches in Cactus League games is one thing. Carrying it over into the regular season is something else.
"He won the game for us right there," Woodward said. "Two outs, nobody on base, you look at it as, 'OK, probably gonna go 1-2-3 here.' He just fought his butt off in that at-bat and ends up working a huge walk."
The largest hurdle for García is finding the balance between patience and discipline. Too much patience can make a hitter too passive, which is something the Rangers don't want García to do. They believe his aggression at the plate is what helped him set multiple Rangers rookie records last season.
The way García summed up his clutch at-bat revealed the dedication to finding that balance.
"I was focusing on trying to get on base any way I possibly could," García said through an interpreter. "Anything I saw over the plate, I was going to swing. But nothing really came over the plate for me."
García still has a ways to go when it comes to laying off pitches outside the strike zone as he ranks in the 19th percentile in chase rate. However, that's up from the sixth percentile in 2021.
Then, there's the diving catch in the ninth inning. If you haven't seen it yet, don't rob yourself the joy of watching a human being fly.
Chris Woodward had one word to describe the play: "Superman."
García has all the tools to be a very special player. He can run, field and has a cannon for an arm. And if you've ever seen him up close, there is no question of the raw power he possesses. If he finds that balance to become a disciplined hitter, watch out.
Lindsey Wasson-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
House of Horrors
Taylor Hearn doesn't shy away from the challenge of pitching in Seattle, but I think anybody would understand if he never wanted to start a game there again.
His first start in Seattle in April 2019—also his big league debut—is well documented. He lasted 1/3 inning, gave up five runs (four earned), ended up injured and didn't pitch again that season.
Yep, that 108.00 ERA was difficult to carry around for well over a calendar year.
Hearn has since logged seven other relief appearances there, and actually did quite well. However, Thursday night was his first start in Seattle since that day. Five batters in, it was 5-0 Seattle with nobody out. It looked like it was going to be even worse than that day.
However, Hearn bore down and pitched through the struggles, knowing he had to not only stop the bleeding but also cauterize the wound. After walking the sixth batter of the inning, Hearn retired the next three. Then, the Royse City, Texas native pitched around a one-out double in the second inning and an error by Charlie Culberson to start the third inning, not allowing the Mariners to score on him again.
Hearn turning that into a three-inning outing is the very definition of a successful bounce back. This is Hearn's first extended look at a spot in the starting rotation. There will surely be bumps along the road. This one could could have flipped the car over, but Hearn kept all four wheels on the ground.
Now, it's time for a short memory—and a welcomed change of scenery.
Also...
We wrote yesterday about the Rangers struggling badly against the No. 8 and 9 hitters in opposing lineups. On Thursday, Seattle went 0-for-10 with seven strikeouts out of the 8- and 9-holes.
In addition, seven of the Rangers' eight runs came with two outs. The Rangers sure enjoyed a flip of the script on Thursday, and it allowed them to the come back from what seemed to be an insurmountable deficit.
