Sometimes, a little home cooking is all it takes. Other times, guests spoil dinner.
The Rangers hosted the Orioles on Monday in their first game at home since before the All-Star Break on July 17, but Baltimore bested Texas 7-2 to spoil the boys in red, white, and blue’s return to Arlington.
Jon Gray got the starting nod for Texas, but midway through the second inning had to leave the contest with a back problem. Gray’s back issue has not been evaluated yet, but the 30-year-old righty said the injury was not part of his game plan.
“I’ve always wanted to be a horse-type pitcher,” Gray told The Dallas Morning News. “And when something like this happens, you don’t really get an opportunity to do [that]. But you know, I’ll find a way to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”
Gray – AKA “Wolf,” who suffered the loss and dropped to 7-6 on the season – pitched 1.1 innings and allowed three earned runs (four total) on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
The four-run lead by the O’s was much more than the Rangers could rally back from as Texas collected a scant seven hits in the game – three of them by Nathanial Lowe – on their way to their 56th loss this season against 46 wins.
The Texas loss drops the team to 20 games behind first-place Houston in the AL West and eight games behind second-place Seattle. Texas is 4-6 in their last 10 (21-27 at home this year) and is just three games ahead of fourth place Los Angeles and eight games better than last place Oakland, whose 39-65 record is the worst in the American League and second worst in all of MLB. (Washington’s 35-69 mark is the worst.)
Following Gray’s early departure, four different Rangers would man the hill in his stead. José Leclerc followed Gray to the bump and pitched 1.2 innings in which he allowed two hits.
Garrett Richards picked up the bulk of the innings in the loss and allowed two runs on four hits while walking one and fanning two.
Brett Martin spelled Richard, pitching the seventh and eighth, and allowed one run on two hits with no walks and a strikeout.
Dennis Santana hurled in the contest’s final frame, walked one, and struck out another.
Aside from Lowe’s dandy night at the plate, only Corey Seager (back in the lineup after missing three games with a leg injury), Leody Taveras, Ezequiel Duran, and Nick Solak were able to collect hits; Seager (24) and Solak (3) each hitting homers, accounting for the Rangers’ two runs.
Texas – now eight games out of the Wild Card chase – will host Baltimore on Tuesday with a 7:05 p.m. start time. Jordan Lyles (7-8, 4.56) is due for the start for the Orioles, while Spencer Howard (2-2, 5.93) is projected to get the starting nod for the Rangers.
