Thoughts on a 6-2 Rangers loss

Jays 6, Rangers 2

• You might remember I talked about how great yesterday’s win was from a low-stress, relaxing, all around standpoint. Today was the opposite.
• Mike Foltynewicz made his Texas Rangers debut and got into trouble right away. After a K to start the game Foltynewicz walked Cavan Biggio, then gave up a single to Bo Bichette. A Teoscar Hernandez K gave the Rangers their second out, but Vlad Guerrero Jr. singled in Biggio. Rowdy Tellez fanned to end the inning, allowing us to argue once again if that counts as striking out the side.
• A couple of things about that last bullet point. First, the three sons of major leaguers were the ones who got the Jays on the board, which I’m sure isn’t the first time they’ve done it, but it’s the first time they’ve done it against the Rangers. Second, a grown up shouldn’t be called “Rowdy.”
• Things got worse in the second. Randal Grichuk walked and then went to second on a passed ball. A ground out and a K later and Foltynewicz just needed to retire Marcus Semien, who he whiffed to start the game, to end the inning. Alas, instead Semien homered to make it 3-0, and was followed by a Biggio homer making it 4-0. Folty struck out Bichette to end the inning, but Texas now had a steep early deficit.
• Foltynewicz settled down after that, striking out two more batters and allowing just one base runner over the next two innings, but the high number of pitches early cost him, and he was finished after 4 innings, throwing 95 pitches.
• It wasn’t a great outing for Foltynewicz, but the velocity was there, and there was reason to be encouraged by what we saw.
• Kyle Cody came in for the fifth, facing just three despite a single due to a GIDP, before things got weird. A Teoscar ground out was followed up by back to back HBPs, setting the stage for a Grichuk RBI single, though Cody managed to escape after that with no further damage. In the seventh, Cody issued a one out walk then hit his third batter, which meant that when Charlie Culberson — starting at 3B, with Brock Holt at DH — ole’d a Teoscar rocket that was scored an error, the Jays got their sixth run.
• Brett de Geus relieved Cody and pitched well, getting ground balls — he induced an inning ending Vlad Jr. GIDP to end the 7th and an inning ending Alejandro Kirk GIDP in the 8th. He also hit Cavan Biggio in the 9th, giving Rangers pitchers 4 HBPs on the day. Two Rangers got hit as well.
• Jays starter Steven Matz shut down the Rangers for most of the game, with his change up proving especially effective against the Rangers lefties. The first nine Rangers were retired to start the game, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s single to start the fourth giving Texas their first base runner. A fielders choice and a Joey Gallo HBP allowed Nate Lowe to get his 10th RBI of the season with a single, though the rally then ended on a Jose Trevino line out to end the inning.
• The Rangers did little offensively after that until the ninth, when Holt doubled home Solak, who had reached on an HBP.
• It was an uninspiring offensive performance. IKF was the only multi-hit Ranger, with a pair of singles.
• Only three triple digit exit velocities for the Rangers today — a Jose Trevino 107.6 mph single, an IKF 103.2 mph single, and a David Dahl 102.7 reach on error. IKF also had a 98.5 mph single and a 97.8 mph groundout.
• Foltynewicz had a sinker that was 97.3 mph, the fastest pitch by either team today. He was sitting 94-95 most of the game. Kyle Cody hit 96.3 (KSCS) a couple of times, while Brett de Geus topped out at 94.7.
• It wasn’t a real good game for Rangers fans. It was also the first real game that the Rangers have played in their new park with fans in the stands. The consensus seemed to be that the park was loud today. I’m going to the game on Sunday and hopefully can offer up my thoughts on the new park afterwards.