The Texas Rangers scored three runs but the Seattle Mariners scored four runs.
deGrom was dang near perfect. Joc Pederson tied Jake Burger for the team lead in dingers with a two-run shot off a tough Logan Gilbert. The Rangers manufactured a run via Skip Schumaker’s daily prescribed small ball.
Yeah, sure, they were thrown out at home thrice trying to extend their lead, but things were going to script for Texas as they attempted to escape Seattle with a series victory and to stay relevant in the terrible
American League playoff race.
And then, after deGrom’s day ended after six innings and 92 pitches, Jakob Junis was called upon for the seventh inning and promptly retired zero of the four hitters he faced and turned a 3-0 lead into a 4-3 deficit that the Rangers couldn’t overcome as they combined to score five runs over two losses after scoring ten runs in the opener.
There’s still over two weeks of the baseball season to go so the Rangers could still recover from this and the many other foibles from this season, but they’re making it incredibly hard on themselves and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to see the path while it also hasn’t been all that compelling to have been on the journey.
Player of the Game: Jacob deGrom was as good as we’ve seen him as he was squeezing his glove around a shot back to the mound away from completing six perfect innings with zero walks and 12 Ks. Alas, he chose to stay a Texas Ranger so he remains a Texas Ranger and all that entails.
Up Next: The Rangers head south for a trip to Arizona where they will take on the Diamondbacks. Neither team has announced a starter for the opener.
The Friday evening first pitch from Chase Field is scheduled for 8:40 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
