11-14 - Rangers lose game, series, April to Angels

So how did the Rangers lose this one? Certainly Martin Perez was maddeningly Martin Perez-y. Perez allowed 12 (!) base runners in his 5 1/3 innings. He struck out one and allowed four runs. That's not going to get it done.

So there's that. That's not good. But the Rangers also collected four hits and struck out nine times against career reliever J.C. Ramirez. That is abysmal. The Angels basically ran out their Anthony Bass and the Rangers acted like he was Chris Sale.

Here's why I think they lost: Angels' No. 9 hitter Martin Maldonado -- he of the career .300 OBP -- reached four times in this game. The Rangers did not get Martin Maldonado out even one time today. You can't do that against a team that has Mike Trout in looming in the lineup. It's a death wish.

Jared Sandler noted on Twitter that the Rangers are allowing nearly a .400 OBP to No. 9 hitters this season. That's probably a decent reason for why they've lost 14 games in 25.

Player of the Game: Shin-Soo Choo, I guess, if we want to award platitudes to anyone for this disaster. Choo hit one half way up Greene's Hill in the fifth to make the game 3-2 and it looked like the Rangers could mount a comeback but then, the next time you looked, Choo was back in the box in the seventh and the bats had done nothing.

By the time Choo was back up again in the bottom of the ninth, the Rangers were down 5-2 and had squandered their best chance with two on, two out in the eighth.

Up Next: Texas begins May with a four-game series against AL West leading Houston at the place the Astros merely lease from the Rangers, Minute Maid. Andrew Cashner will make the start in the opener against RHP Lance McCullers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm CT.