10-11 - Rangers slapped back below .500 after 14-4 walloping from Padres

You have to hand it to the Texas Rangers. For as discombobulated as they have looked in many facets of the activity we know as baseball in 2020, they’ve kept a lot of the losses relatively close and have even grabbed their fair share of games of which they maybe had no business being on the winning side.

That was not true, however, in their last game in Colorado and it was definitely not true tonight. Make it two straight games where the Rangers have allowed five runs in the second inning to all but announce that it’s fine if you want to flip over to see how the area teams in other sports are doing in their playoff games.

After Kolby Allard was bopped on Sunday, it was Jordan Lyles’ turn to see the wheels come off as he allowed five runs in the top of the second while the Rangers didn’t even have five hits on the night.

Between that second inning and the end of the game, the Rangers were still outscored 9-4. Fernando Tatis Jr. hit two bombs including a grand slam. He is legit and is exactly the kind of burgeoning electric talent that Texas desperately seeks.

The loss drops the Rangers back below .500 but they’ll have a few more chances to make things right against that marauding gang of fathers run by A.J. Preller and Jayce Tingler.

Player of the Game: Jurickson Profar laced a rally-jolting two-run RBI double in that fateful second inning in his very first appearance at this new ballpark just like we always hoped to see, except he was wearing mustard yellow and brown. The Prodigal Profar finished the night 2-for-5 in front of a pensive cardboard crowd.

Up Next: The Rangers and Padres conclude the Arlington leg of this home and home series with Mike Minor scheduled to make the start for Texas against a San Diegoan to be named. Tuesday’s first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 3:05 pm CT.