The Rangers Are 10-7
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Congratulations if you made it to the end of that one. It wasn't fun to watch.
- Martin Perez got the start today against the White Sox, and he had another so-so outing. From a results standpoint didn't look good as he was charged with 5 earned runs. He managed only 2 strikeouts while still walking 2. And yet, I find myself not terribly upset by the outing. Home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez had an infuriatingly small (and inconsistent) strike zone. When your starting pitcher relies on keeping pitches in the bottom of the zone, and then those are no longer strikes, it effectively forces him to throw batting practice to hitters. I'm actually impressed that the White Sox didn't manage to hit him harder.
- Then there was the baserunning, which was once again a problem. It feels like it's been a problem for several years now, and it's one that I find myself continually saying, "It's OK, it'll work itself out." And there was Delino DeShields, working a leadoff walking in the top of the 1st inning, then finding himself picked off. It was his 3rd out on the base paths this season, and with only 2 stolen bases, you wonder at what point we decide that, although blazing fast, he just might not be a very good base runner. His 76% success rate in 2015 was about break-even for what you have to do to provide added value with stolen bases, so you'd like to see him somewhere above that. And yet, it seems like every other game, he's making an out on the bases. Last night it was inexplicably being caught going to third base for the third out with Hanser Alberto heading home to score, and today, it was simply getting caught leaning.
- Then there was the fateful 7th inning. Down 5-0, the Texas bats showed signs of life. Prince Fielder led off with a double, Adrian Beltre singled to left field, and Ian Desmond walked. Suddenly, the bases were loaded with no outs. With Mitch Moreland coming to the plate, there was at least some small hope that maybe this game wasn't quite over. However, Mitch lined out to Adam Eaton in right field, and in a crazy sequence, Prince Fielder hadn't bothered to try to score. Ian Desmond was caught off of first base, which led to Beltre getting caught between second base and third base, and for some strange reason, Prince, who hadn't previously scored, actually being the third out of the inning in what was scored as a 9-3-2-6-2-5 triple play.
- There's not really too much else to say about this game. My only lasting thought is this: Delino DeShields simply isn't talented enough to be a liability on the bases or in the outfield. He now holds an OPS of .699, and while his OBP was looking pretty good even as recently as a few days ago, Texas needs him to be nearly flawless in every other aspect of his game for him to be valuable to the organization when he's not hitting or getting on base. Right now, he's not making that happen. I'm not sure what to do with that information, but there it is.
- Just in case you're a glutton for punishment, I'm leaving video of the triple play below.