Thoughts on a 2-0 Rangers loss

Indians 2, Rangers 0

• Miles Mikolas had another strong start, very similar to his effort against the Yankees on July 21.  In both the Yankee start and in this start, he allowed 2 runs, walked just 2 batters, pitched at least 7 innings, and limited hits allowed -- the Indians got 5 hits, the Yankees got 4 hits.  Those performances are the sort that lead you to believe he could be a part of the 2015 Rangers.  Of course, in between, he allowed 8 runs in Oakland, and in his two starts before the Yankee start, he allowed 14 runs in a total of 9 innings.  Mikolas has had two very solid starts, one decent start, a bad start, and two terrible starts.  Its baffling.
• Mikolas also fanned 6 batters today, if you are keeping track at home.
• Tom Grieve said during the telecast that Mikolas has the stuff to be, not a #5 starter, but a mid-rotation guy, if he can improve his consistency.
• Roman Mendez pitched a scoreless 8th, bouncing back from his rough last outing, and lowering his ERA on the season to 1.38.
• Once again, the bats were the problem.  Five hits -- all singles -- and three walks.  That's pretty terrible.  The Rangers even had the benefit of a Jason Kipnis error, giving them 9 baserunners in all, but it didn't matter.  They couldn't do anything with them.
• No one had more than one hit tonight.  Elvis Andrus, J.P. Arencibia and Daniel Robertson each had both a hit and a walk.  That's it for the offensive highlights.
• Rougned Odor continues to struggle...he's had four straight 0 for 4 games, and is 2 for 26 in his last seven games.  Odor came up in the 9th with two on and one out, representing the tying run, and was facing a pitcher who was struggling to throw strikes.  He hacked at the first pitch he saw and popped it up.  I have said he reminds me of Michael Young, and that includes his approach at the plate...it doesn't matter if the pitcher has thrown eight straight balls, like Young, Odor is going to go up there to the plate looking to drive the first pitch he sees.
• Leonys Martin also had a less-than-impressive game, fouling off a pair of bunt attempts with J.P. Arencibia on second with no one out early in the game, then grounding to third base, meaning that Arencibia couldn't advance.  Just about every Ranger media member on Twitter tonight commented on it being an especially poor at bat.  He also failed to make a play on a ball that fell in for a hit tonight that it sounded like some thought he could have caught.
• Daniel Robertson did make a really nice catch tonight.  That was a highlight.
• And Miles Mikolas pitched really well.  I wish one of these young pitchers -- Mikolas, one of the Nicks -- would step up and have a strong final two months, and claim a job in the 2015 rotation.
• Tom Grieve said, late int he game, with Jim Adduci hitting, "Rangers fans know what a good fastball hitter Adduci is."  I wanted to tell him, no, TAG, Rangers fans don't even know who Adduci is.