Thoughts on a 3-1 Rangers loss

Angels 3, Rangers 1

• This is one of those games where I don’t really have much to say, where there’s not really much to say.
• Lance Lynn was fine, He threw a ton of fastballs, attacked hitters, and made it through 7 innings. He allowed 2 runs — one on a Mike Trout home run, and one on a double-infield single-single sequence in an inning that could have been a lot worse if Trout hadn’t hit into a 4-3 GIDP to end that inning. Lynn struck out 5, walked 1, allowed 5 hits, and generally pitched like, I think, the Rangers were hoping he would pitch when they signed him.
• Unfortunately, Lynn got almost no run support. I thought he might be given the chance at an 8 inning complete game, but Chris Woodward went to Jesse Chavez for the 8th. Chavez gave up a run, again, but it was on a Trout home run, which is understandable.
• The problem is that the offense was ineffective. It wasn’t as bad as the Brad Peacock game earlier this week, as a run was scored and there were some threats, but this ultimately was a failure of offense.
• The one run was on a Joey Gallo home run, which went 152 feet high, per Statcast. I don’t think you’ll see many other home runs that high.
• Texas actually appeared poised to repeat last night’s early scoring in the first, when Rougned Odor doubled and then Elvis Andrus singled. With one out, and Elvis’s single being hard hit, Odor held at third, only to be stranded there when Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo whiffed. It was a harbinger of things to come.
• Delino DeShields actually made it to third with two outs twice. The first time he walked, stole second, and went to third on a ground out. The more entertaining venture involved him bunting, beating it out, heading to second when the throw went wild, and then going to third when the throw in to second went wild. That, and the Gallo home run, were the most exciting parts of the game.
• What else...Ronald Guzman hit a blast to center in the ninth that looked off the bat like it would be a home run, but Mike Trout caught it at the wall. Rougned Odor hit a shot back up the middle that hit whoever the Angels pitcher was (I don’t remember and don’t feel like looking up the name of an Angel player) on the arm, and the pitcher stayed in the game.
• So there you go, Quiet game that Texas lost. On to the next one.