Texas Rangers Drop Final Game Against Royals, Can't Complete Series Sweep
It was not the Texas Rangers' day on Wednesday. With news that Corey Seager could miss a minimum of four weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, the Rangers lost 10-1 against the Kansas City Royals (4-9) in their first game without the star shortstop.
Texas (7-5) was going for tits fourth consecutive win and a series sweep after outscoring the Royals 19-7 in the first two games with masterful pitching performances from Andrew Heaney and Jacob deGrom.
Wednesday was a different story.
Nathan Eovaldi took the mound for his third start of the season and failed to replicate his last outing. On Wednesday night he finished five innings pitched while giving up six earned runs. His ERA now sits at a bloated 6.32.
Not much else went right for the Rangers, especially offensively.
Texas was able to score just one run, a Nathaniel Lowe home run in the first inning for an early 1-0 lead.
That edge would quickly dissipate as Kansas City piled on three runs in the second, another one in the third and two more in fourth.
Things went from bad to worse as Taylor Hearn came on in relief for Eovaldi and quickly gave up another four runs to make it a 10-1 ballgame after the top of the seventh.
It was the first time this season the Royals have been able to score double digit runs.
It was an uncharacteristic evening from both the Texas offense and pitching staff. The Rangers' early calling card to start the 2023 MLB season has been their stout rotation and even better bullpen.
Both failed to deliver in a tough loss Wednesday.
The offense, which has had its ups and downs, failed to crack even five hits, conjuring images of last week's matchup against the Baltimore Orioles when the Rangers recorded just one hit.
It's been feast or famine for the lineup and the loss of Seager will likely only exacerbate the issue.
Texas will need to search for answers as they are slated to face a very tough Houston Astros team this weekend.
First pitch for Friday night's Silver Boot showdown is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT with Martín Pérez trying to get the Rangers back on track.
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You can find Kade Kistner on Twitter @KadeKistner.
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