Thoughts on a 6-1 Rangers win

Rangers 6, Royals 1

• A win, finally. The Rangers break that 5 game losing streak that had been making everyone grouchy and foul. Good job, Rangers!
• And they did it despite their starting pitcher, Mike Minor, not having his best stuff. Minor has been superlative this season, but he wasn’t at his sharpest today — he allowed 8 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings of work, striking out 3. He gave up leadoff hits in every inning he pitched other than the first, and seemingly was pitching with runners in scoring position all night. Nevertheless, he allowed just a single run, in the first inning, before Chris Woodward went to the pen after 90 pitches.
• In both the second and the fourth innings, Kelvin Gutierrez and Martin Maldonado each singled to start the frame, and then Billy Hamilton bunted them over. Kansas City didn’t score in either inning.
• Minor has a 2.61 ERA on the year, by the way. This time last year I’m pretty sure you could find an angry mob of LSB commenters asking why he hadn’t been moved back to the pen yet. Patience is a virtue.
• And hey, we got a Jeanmar Gomez sighting today! And he was good! Gomez appeared in the 6th and retired all three hitters he faced. Shawn Kelley is supposed to be ready to return tomorrow, which means a pitcher will have to go, and it may be Gomez, so enjoy him while he’s here.
• Good Jesse Chavez also made an appearance. 2 scoreless innings, 3 Ks, 1 hit and 1 walk, lowering his ERA to 6.30 on the year.
• Both Chris Martin and Jose Leclerc warmed in the top of the 9th, and I assumed Leclerc would start the 9th, with Martin ready if he faltered, but Martin came into the game from the beginning. Not sure if Leclerc didn’t look right in the pen, or if he was coming in only if the lead was bigger, or what.
• Very positive results today from some of the young bats. Willie Calhoun homered in his first major league at bat of the season, putting the Rangers up right away by a 2-0 score, and also had a single. Nomar Mazara had 4 hits, including a pair of doubles. Ronald Guzman continued his power display with a two run homer as part of a 2 hit night. The two young guys who didn’t hit were Rougned Odor, who was 0 for 5, though with two very loud outs that had EVs over 100 mph, and Joey Gallo, who was 0 for 4 with a walk and 3 Ks, though one of the Ks was on a 3-2 pitch that looked like ball four.
• Shin-Soo Choo was hit by pitches his first two times up, which is weird. He also homered to give the Rangers their final run.
• Logan Forsythe went 2 for 3 with two doubles and a walk, and is now slashing .316/.414/.541 on the year, which is...unexpected.
• So a fun game, with some very good individual performances, and we should be happier now. Rangers look to take the series tomorrow with a lunchtime start.