Rangers 5, Royals 3
- Well, that was a four game sweep against the defending World Champs, putting the Rangers back at 18 games above .500 after a 5-2 homestand, and having won 7 of their last 9.
- And today’s victory was with newcomer Lucas Harrell getting the start. Harrell went 6 innings and allowed just 4 hits, although 2 of them were home runs, walking 3 and striking out 2 while allowing 3 runs. He was serviceable, which is all the Rangers are looking for out of him at this point, and this could possibly be his only start for the Rangers, as the team continues to look under rocks and behind furniture for a possible starter before tomorrow’s trade deadline.
- The bullpen saw Tony Barnette, Keone Kela, Jake Diekman and Sam Dyson combine for three perfect innings. With Barnette pitching the 7th and Kela the 8th, with Diekman warming behind him, I assumed Diekman would pitch the 9th and Dyson, whose velocity has been off of late, would get the day off. But no, Diekman pitched to one batter in the 8th to finish the inning, and then Dyson handled the 9th.
- Texas jumped on Dillon Gee early, with Delino DeShields singling to start the bottom of the first, and Nomar Mazara homering immediately after that, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead before Gee ever recorded an out, and erasing the 1-0 lead Kansas City had gotten on Eric Hosmer’s two-out solo shot in the top of the first.
- Two more runs came across for Texas in the fourth inning, when a Mitch Moreland home run brought Adrian Beltre home, and then after Kansas City made it a 4-3 game in the top of the fifth, Texas clung to a one run lead until a Hanser Alberto double with Mitch Moreland and Robinson Chirinos on base brought Moreland home with an insurance run in the seventh. Texas looked primed to blow the game open then, after DeShields was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out, but Nomar Mazara grounded into a double play to end the inning.
- A big game for Moreland, who was 2 for 3 with a home run, and for DeShields, who was 2 for 3 with the HBP. Everyone got a hit except for Jurickson Profar and Chirinos, and even they had walks, so everyone got on base.
- So all in all, it was a solid game, a great way to head into an off day and finish off a homestand...and on top of all that, the Astros lost, so the Rangers are now up 6 in the West.
- Texas plays again on Tuesday, after the deadline, so we shall have to wait and see if this is the same team then it is now, or if there are changes, be it major or minor. The Jonathan Lucroy talk continues to swirl, and if a deal is made, it sounds like Joey Gallo would go, which would make me sad. There’s a part of me that hopes the Rangers just stand pat at this point. We shall see...