The Texas Rangers dropped their second straight game to the Astros Wednesday evening and, in the process, lost the three-game tilt with the in-state rivals 2-1. Texas fell 9.5 games out of first with just a one-game cushion for second place in the AL West ahead of the Angels.
The Rangers’ skipper Chris Woodward did not think much of his team’s 9-2 thrashing at the hands of AL West-leading Houston in Arlington last night.
“It sucks,” he said postgame. “We just gotta move on and get on the plane and go bring our A-game to Detroit.”
Texas could only muster four hits in the loss and, as a team, batted .125 against the Houston pitching staff.
Adolis Garcia, who sought medical treatment in the outfield after twisting his leg on a defensive putout, picked up the lone RBI for the Rangers. The center-field slugger leads the team in RBI at No.41 and is tied for fifth in the American League.
In the lineup as DH, Corey Seager was the only Ranger to collect more than one hit as his 2-for-4 day at the plate increased his season batting average to .224 and his OPS to .704.
Tyson Miller made his first start as a Ranger, and it didn’t last long. Miller was only able to retire two batters in the outing and allowed six earned runs on four hits and two walks. The effort balloons his ERA to 18.00 (matching his inning count of 18 this year). Miller earned the loss in the outing, which was his first career decision.
“You could tell it was just a little off and wasn’t really in command of the baseball at all,” Woodward said. “[He] fell behind.”
Jesus Tinoco spelled Miller in the top of the first and stopped the Astros barrage. The 27-year-old righty hailing from San Antonio de Maturin, Venezuela, tossed 2.1 innings; Tinoco has yet to allow an earned run this season in  4.1 innings in his first season with the franchise.
With the game mostly decided early on, Kolby Allard followed Tinoco out of the pen and onto the hill, battling for five innings and yielding three earned runs on five hits — including two home runs — while walking none and fanning four.
Allard’s extended outing allowed Coach Woodward to preserve most of the other arms in the bullpen, and third basemen Charlie Culberson mopped up the top of the ninth inning with a rare pitching effort.
The Rangers boarded a flight for Detroit last night and will start the first of a four-game series with the Tigers on June 16 at Comerica Park, beginning at 7:10 EDT. Texas ace Martin Perez (4-2, 2.18) is slated to start against Beau Brieske (1-5, 4.34).
The AL Central Tigers boast a record of 24-38 and are 5-8 in June after losing their last six games. They have been outscored 168-262 this season, while the Rangers are 267-269.
