Thoughts on an 8-2 Rangers loss

Tigers 8, Rangers 2

• The Rangers have now lost 6 games in a row.
• This game, at one point, had a good vibe to it.  Colby Lewis gave up a home run to Ian Kinsler in the first inning, but after that, pitched fine, and through 6 innings, the score was tied at 1, and Lewis had a manageable pitch count.  Then everything went to hell.  Victor Martinez hit a deep blast to center that looked like it would be gone, but actually was just a double.  Then J.D. Martinez hit a deep blast to center that was gone.  And then Nick Castellanos hit a deep blast to center that looked like it would be gone, but was caught.  After three deep shots that went a combined 1380 feet or so, I assumed that was it for Colby, but Wash left him in the game for one more batter, who promptly singled.  Then he went and pulled him for Ben Rowen.  When Rowen let that inherited runner score, Lewis lost his quality start.
• Ben Rowen allowed 3 hits while retiring one batter, then was asked to walk Miguel Cabrera intentionally to load the bases with two outs for Shawn Tolleson.  Tolleson promptly walked Victor Martinez, forcing in a runner and making it a 6-1 game.  What had, 15 minutes or so earlier, seemed like an imminently winnable game now seemed over.
• Aaron Poreda helpfully allowed a couple of more runs in the 8th inning, to make sure our hopes were well and fully squashed.
• Joakim Soria started the ninth inning.  It was the first time in 10 days he'd appeared.  After 8 pitches, he was pulled for Scott Baker.  I don't know what's going on anymore.
• If you want to second guess Wash for leaving Colby out there to start the 7th, I guess you can.  Colby hasn't been particularly good this year, and all your good pitchers were in the bullpen, fully rested.  I think it was reasonable to have Colby start the 7th, but I also think it would have been reasonable to say, I'm not pushing my luck with Colby, I've got a fully rested bullpen, Jason Frasor and Neal Cotts have pitched in one game apiece in the last week, and Joakim Soria hasn't pitched in ten days, so I'm turning to those guys in a tie game.
• Adrian Beltre was 4 for 4, getting his 2500th career hit, which is pretty cool.  The rest of the lineup went 5 for 31.  It was pretty awful.
• This game was frustrating because it seemed winnable.  It gave me false hope.  I don't know...at least I had six innings to enjoy, before everything went to shit.  I guess that's better than everything sucking from the first inning.
• I don't even get mad at these games anymore, really.  Its not that I don't care, but I've accepted that these games don't really matter.  I mean, I want the team to win, but I look at this lineup, and I look at a rotation that, outside of Yu Darvish, doesn't have a pitcher that you'd expect to be more than a fifth starter on a championship contender, I look at the d.l., and I've come to grips with the fact that it isn't happening this year.  For the first time in five years, I don't feel like every game is meaningful, like every game is leading to a potential playoff berth.  When the Rangers are losing, I'm not worried about what it means to their playoff chances.  Instead, I feel a sense, more than anything, of resignation.  Of, well, I guess we're one game farther away from .500.
• I'd forgotten what it was like to have a season, essentially, be over before the All Star Break.  It sucks.  But then, it also makes me think back to 2010, of running away with the division, and how awesome that felt.  And it reminds me not to take success for granted.
• The Rangers aren't going to do anything in 2014.  But hopefully, this year will make me appreciate the next successful Rangers season that much more.