Texas Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy Out of Answers, Lacks 'Magic Wand'

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy doesn’t have a “magic wand.”

Or any answers.

The skipper is obviously at his wit’s end trying to figure out what ails the Rangers. The current four-game losing skid – on the back end of a six-game winning streak – is as baffling as it is damaging.

The Rangers (82-68) have held leads in the last three losses. The opponents in question – Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox – own losing records.

Texas recently surged back into solid playoff position. That hasn’t changed much with the Rangers and Seattle Mariners now tied for third Wild Card, but the margin for error shrinks with each head-scratching loss.

Is there anything in Bochy’s bag of tricks to turn things around?

“Like a magic wand? I wish I had one,” he said, exasperated. “Believe me. They’re trying. Trust me. It’s a great group here. This was a tough one again. We’ve lost a few of these.”

The bullpen is the usual culprit, as was the case in Monday’s 4-2 loss to Boston. The Rangers had a 2-1 lead going into the eighth before reliever Will Smith gave it away.

A leadoff walk to the No. 8 hitter set the tone for a disastrous inning. Bochy swatted away questions about pitch selection in the aftermath, electing instead to remain supportive.

“You keep putting them out there – that’s what I have to do – and keep working with them,” he said.

The Rangers have lost 37 games this season where they held the lead. They’ve blown 31 saves as a staff, against 27 successes. The MLB record for blown saves is 37.

Maybe starter Jordan Montgomery could have lasted another inning or two against Boston. He was only at 95 pitches through seven innings, though he’s thrown 100 or more just three times in 30 starts this season.

The bats aren’t doing Bochy any favors lately. Eight runs in the last four games won’t cut it. Even with Josh Jung and Adolis García back in the lineup Monday, the Rangers managed just five hits.

“The offense right now is sputtering a little bit,” Bochy said. “We’re living on a real fine line there.”

Maybe there wasn’t anything different for Bochy to do. He appears to be grasping with no magic wand in sight.

“As far as what I do, I stay behind them,” he said. “You keep writing out the lineup and we’ve got to keep pushing here.”

You can follow Art Garcia on Twitter @ArtGarcia92.

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