Rangers Fall Below .500 With Loss to Tigers
· Yahoo Sports
The Texas Rangers have battled hard to change their course this season, looking to establish themselves as a legitimate threat in the American League West Division. After Saturday night, though, the Rangers have work to do.
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Kumar Rocker gave up five earned runs and Dillon Dingler's three-run home run in the bottom of the first was all that the Detroit Tigers really needed. The Tigers defeated the Rangers 5-1 at Comerica Park in Detroit.
With Saturday night's loss, the Rangers fall below the .500 mark at 16-17.
Rocker only lasted two innings, allowing six hits, those five runs, didn't walk anyone, and struck out just two. He's now 1-3 this season. Rangers relievers Cal Quantrill, Peyton Gray, and Gavin Collyer came on and shut down the Tigers as far as scoring anymore runs.
The Rangers scored their only run on Jake Burger's solo home run, his sixth homer this season, in the top of the fourth inning. Josh Jung and Josh Smith had two hits apiece against Tigers pitching, but Texas just could not get things going on the offensive side.
Texas only had seven total hits against Tigers pitching.
Detroit starter Keider Montero pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up five hits, one run (earned), walking two, and striking out two. Montero gets the win and now goes to 2-2 this season.
Once again, one statistic that Rangers manager Skip Schumaker will look at and probably shake his head is those runners in scoring position. Texas went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position against the Tigers, and the Rangers had seven runners left on base.
Jung also had two fielding errors in the game, too.
Texas remains in second place in the AL West. As for the Tigers, they now go to 17-17 and are in second place in the American League Central Division.
The Rangers and Tigers will wrap up this three-game weekend series on Sunday.
After a day off on Monday, Texas travels to the Bronx, where the Rangers will enter a three-game series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. That series runs through Thursday.
Finally, the Rangers will return home to Globe Life Field next Friday for a three-game weekend series against the Chicago Cubs.
Texas also has to find a way to deal with some injury situations, too. The Rangers have shown improvement at times early this season. Schumaker and Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young have worked hard to change the course of the team's play.
Going back under .500, though, wasn't probably in their plans.
Still, the season is still young and the Rangers have plenty of baseball ahead of them.
All it takes for Texas to get back at .500 is to come away with a victory on Sunday at Comerica Park. Schumaker hopes that they can make it happen.
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