George Kirby and two relievers faced the minimum 27 batters as the Texas Rangers’ offense no-shows again in yet another road loss.
The 2023 Texas Rangers, the ones who won the World Series with great offense and a record 11 straight postseason road victories, lost their third straight game to lose a four-game series to the Mariners.
The series wasn’t a total loss. Kumar Rocker, Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer pitched well under the spotlight, and the first three games — all 5-4 outcomes — were well-played.
The finale Sunday, though, encapsulated two key elements to a disappointing season: zilch on offense and more trouble on the road.
The Rangers lost 7-0 at T-Mobile Park, where Mariners starter George Kirby and two relievers faced the minimum 27 batters. That doesn’t happen every day.
But the Rangers’ offense has struggled most days this season. They are also 30-45 on the road. Throw in some key injuries and underperformance by a handful of players, and the Rangers are 10 1/2 games out in the American League West and should be officially eliminated from postseason contention this week.
Most thought that Kirby’s effort last season in the regular-season finale had doomed the Rangers in the postseason. His win cost the Rangers the West title and sent them diagonally across the country to Tampa Bay, where the Rangers became road warriors and eventually won it all.
Kirby continues to dominate the Rangers, and he is expected to face them later this week in the Rangers’ final home series of the season. Maybe being at Globe Life Field will help them, say, get a runner to second base.
That would be better than what happened Sunday.
Too much celebrating?
Ever since Jose Bautista hit that home run against the Rangers in the 2015 American League Division Series, media types and fans of offending batters have become more supportive over-the-top bat flips and home-run celebrations.
Bat flips in big moments are one thing. Even Astros right-hander Justin Verlander said that he had no issues with Adolis Garcia’s bat flip last season in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, saying that a player who just hit the biggest home of his career should be excited.
Fortunately for the Rangers, Verlander was wrong. Garcia collected four more big home runs last postseason.
Garcia’s best bud, though, might have crossed a line Sunday.
Randy Arozarena went deep, way deep, in the seventh inning off Gerson Garabito. Arozarena made a series of look-at-me gestures as he rounded the bases … incredibly slow. He needed more than 30 seconds.
That’s too much time, and Rangers catcher Jonah Heim wasn’t pleased. Arozarena said afterward that he was celebrating reaching the goal of a 20-homer, 20-steal season.
Fast forward to the eighth, when Arozarena faced Garabito again. Garabito hit him on the fifth pitch of the at-bat, so it probably wasn’t intentional. If the intent was to plunk Arozarena, it would have happened on the first pitch.
Arozarena, to his credit, motioned to the barking Mariners bench to stay put. He eventually went to first base without incident.
Maybe he understood that Garabito, who was struggling, wasn’t sending a message.
Maybe he didn’t want any of his teammates to risk an injury or suspension as they try to chase down the Astros.
Or maybe he was like, yeah, I probably deserved that one.
Frisco still churning
The Texas League regular season ended Sunday, and Double A Frisco finished with the best winning percentage (.608, 84-54) in franchise history. The RoughRiders also aren’t finished playing.
They won the South Division in the first half of the season to earn a berth into the Texas League playoffs. Frisco opens the best-of-3 semifinal series Tuesday at Midland and will host Game 2 on Thursday. If the third game is necessary, Frisco would host it Friday.
The Riders would play host to Game 1 of the championship series should they advance. Get tickets here.
Top prospect Sebastian Walcott did not play in the regular-season finale but went 8 for 23 (.348) in his first week at Double A. He knocked his first home run Saturday.
Triple A Round Rock is the only affiliate still cranking. The Express finished the home portion of its schedule Sunday and will end the season at Tacoma.
ICYMI …
News is never — and I mean never — very far away from the Rangers, and last week was proof of that with Rocker, deGrom, Scherzer, Corey Seager and Chris Young. The guess here is that the Rangers’ final homestand this week will also provide plenty of stories. Don’t miss them at DLLS Sports. Some of our content from the past week is below, in case you missed it.
Boys of Arlington: Cole Hamels
Chris Young gets his extension
DLLS Rangers Podcast on YouTube
Doggy video!
My dogs do this after a long road trip. My kids? Not so much. Enjoy.
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
