Of all the Rangers swinging a bat on Sunday, only two did so without striking out, as the Rangers fell to the White Sox in an 8-2 thrashing at Globe Life Field.
Sunday saw the Rangers in a spot they have not been in many times this year at home: a chance to win a series in Arlington. Sunday’s defeat dashed those hopes, with the series ending in a 2-2 split.
Texas has not won a home series since they defeated Oakland 2-1 in a three-game set on July 13. In 16 chances to win a series at home, Texas has only cashed in six times this season.
While the Rangers collectively batted .257 at the plate in the loss (9-for-35), they left 11 runners stranded in the game, and Texas was 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position, giving starting pitcher Spencer Howard little support while the White Sox had their way with the 26-year-old lefty.
In his eighth start of the season, Howard got shelled in his 3.1 innings of work, giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits while walking one and striking out three. Howard’s outing drops his record to 2-4 on the season and keeps his ERA hovering above seven with a 7.41 mark on the year.
The Rangers bullpen, which had issues on the hill ahead of the Chicago series, pitched well again in mop-up duties in the contest against the White Sox. Brett Martin, Garrett Richards, Brock Burke, and Matt Moore combined 5.2 innings in which they scattered seven hits and two earned runs throughout the remainder of the blow-out.
Nathaniel Lowe, team leader in batting average at .285, was the lone bright spot in the loss for Texas as the lefty went 3-for-5 from the plate with 2 RBI and a home run, his 16th on the year. The 452-foot big fly was the longest by any Ranger this season.
“I don’t know if I have seen a ball hit here that far,” Rangers skipper Chris Woodward said of Lowe’s long-fly. “There are a lot of little things that he is working on as far as pitch selection — laying off the high fastball. Keeping his bat in the zone longer. Being aggressive with certain pitches.”
Woodward said he is impressed with how Lowe hits left-handed pitchers, considering he bats from the left side of the plate.
“He’s our best hitter, day in and day out,” Woodward said.
Marcus Semien and Ezequiel Duran were the only other Rangers to collect multiple hits in the loss. Corey Seager and Jonah Heim were the only Rangers starters that Chicago could not strike out on the day.
Texas has Monday off and will welcome the Astros to town on Tuesday. The Astros and Yankees are tied for the most wins in the American League as of Monday, and Houston, the AL West front runner, leads the Rangers by 21 in the standings. Texas is in third place, 10 games behind second-place Seattle.
