As the MLB trade deadline came and went yesterday, the San Diego Padres made one of the biggest trades in baseball history, acquiring generational-talent Juan Soto from the Nationals. Meanwhile, the Rangers stood pat, short of sending reliever Matt Bush to a new home.
Bush, who was 2-1 on the year in 40 games and 36.2 innings pitched, takes his 2.95 ERA to Milwaukee to throw for the Brewers. In return for Bush, Texas receives 28-year-old right-handed second baseman Mark Mathias and Antoine Kelly, 22, who was recently named the #7 prospect in the Brewers farm system by Baseball America.
Kelly will head to Double-A Frisco, while Mathias, who has had just 16 at-bats this year and 52 in his career (batting .231), will go to Triple-A Roundrock.
With the trade deadline out of the way, the Rangers resumed their losing ways and fell at home to the Orioles, 8-2, dropping their record at Globe Life field to 21-28 (46-57 overall), which is the second worst record at home in the American League behind Oakland’s 17-33 mark.
Spencer Howard got the starting nod on the mound for Texas and sailed through the first two innings, allowing no hits and fanning four. In the third inning, however, Howard bounced around like a racquetball. Howard opened his awful third by hitting a batter, walking a batter, and then allowing a three-run homer by Jorge Mateo on an 0-2 cutter out over the plate. Howard would allow two more runs in the third before going unblemished in the fourth.
Howard’s four innings of work included six earned runs — he allowed a hit in the fifth which would turn into another Baltimore run — while yielding two walks and fanning three on the day. He falls to 2-3 on the year.
Josh Sborz relieved Howard and pitched two innings, allowing one hit and striking out two.
Taylor Hearn, who was called up from AAA Round Rock before the game, pitched two innings of his own in which he allowed no hits, walked one, and K’d one.
With the game all but over, Dennis Santana pitched the final inning and allowed two runs on two hits while walking one and striking out two.
Meibrys Viloria got a rare start as the backstop in the game and was one of only a few offensive stars for Texas in the loss. Viloria went 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice. He got the start in place of Jonah Heim, the everyday catcher, who had the night off.
Nathanial Lowe collected two hits, raising his average to .282, and Marcus Semien also collected two hits going 2-for-5.
The Rangers host the Orioles at Globe Life Field on Wednesday with a 1:05 p.m. start time on $1 Hot Dog Night in Arlington. Probable starting pitchers are Kyle Bradish (1-4, 7.01, whom the Rangers have never faced) against Rangers Ace MartÃn Pérez (9-2, 2.52 ERA) on the hill for Texas.
