Sometimes in baseball, as in life, you have to take what you can get. This weekend in Arlington, the Texas Rangers were able to avoid being swept by the Baltimore Orioles by taking the series finale. It was a good way to end the short three-game homestand. It provides a boost of energy and momentum for the Rangers as they head to Anaheim, California to begin a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday evening at 8:38 PM CDT. Until then, here is a look at some Texas Rangers notes from April 15th through the 18th.
New Surroundings
One thing to keep in mind is that Globe Life Field is still new to everyone. It is not just the fans that are adjusting to it. Rangers manager Chris Woodward has said that they are still learning how to hit in their new home, particularly when the roof is closed. In this series against Baltimore, the Rangers managed to score only four runs. They did this on a combined total of 16 hits over that three-game stretch. People don’t always think about things like that. Hitting is hitting, they may say. It shouldn’t matter if there’s a roof or not. It shouldn’t matter if it’s night or day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Those people would be wrong, however. Baseball is a game of adjustments and tendencies. Some guys hit better at night instead of day, and vice-versa. Most of the guys on this Rangers roster aren’t used to hitting with a roof over their head, but they’re going to need to adjust to it. It’s going to be closed more and more as the summer goes on in Texas.
Stretched Out Starters
Despite their two losses in this series, the three starting pitchers for the Rangers held their own against the Orioles. In the game on Sunday, right-hander Kyle Gibson turned in a very solid outing. He went eight strong innings in which he held the Orioles scoreless while giving up just four hits and striking out six. Ian Kennedy and John King also threw a scoreless inning apiece. King got the winning decision, improving his record to 1-0 on the year. More Texas Rangers notes worth mentioning involve fellow righty, Dane Dunning. In the series opener on Friday night, Dunning went six innings, allowing five hits while striking out five. Rangers fans are really beginning to warm up to Dunning. He has become one of the most durable pitchers on the Rangers’ staff. People were sad to see righty Lance Lynn get traded to the Chicago White Sox, but the return on investment in Dunning has been worth it.
Shallow Gallo
The absence of power from the bat of outfielder Joey Gallo was noticeable in this series. At Globe Life Field, Gallo only has one extra-base hit this season. Overall, he is hitting .239 with one home run and five RBI. The front office and coaching staffs have to be concerned that he has only gone deep once this year. Let’s see if he can turn it around soon. Fans want their power hitter back. It’s still early, but hopefully, he will be in some more positive Texas Rangers notes.
“Main Photo”
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Joey Gallo, Lance Lynn, Dane Dunning, Ian Kennedy, John King, Kyle Gibson
