Thoughts on a 5-3 Rangers loss

Angels 5, Rangers 3

• And the Rangers have now lost three in a row, on the off chance this is something anyone is interested in right now.
• The Rangers had one really bad inning in the fourth, when the Angels scored four runs. Note I said the Rangers, rather than Dane Dunning, the Rangers starter who was victimized for those four runs. The inning started with a ground rule double that Adolis Garcia and Kole Calhoun watched fall between them, with neither taking charge, and included a poor throw by Corey Seager on a play that went for an infield single and a bunt single that Dunning didn’t make a play on.
• It wasn’t a bad inning by Dunning, who wasn’t hit hard — it was a combination of balls falling in and plays not being made, all of which combined to be the difference in the game.
• Other than the fourth, Dunning allowed a lone run on a Jared Walsh home run, giving him a total line of five runs allowed in 6.1 IP. Dunning also picked up eight Ks while generating 15 swinging strikes in 98 pitches, which I think we would all find acceptable.
• Garrett Richards finished things out against his old team, coming in with two on and one out in the seventh, getting a GIDP, and then putting up a scoreless eighth inning.
• The offense did a whole lot of nothing for most of the game, not even recording a hit until the fifth inning, when Adolis Garcia and Jonah Heim had back to back singles. Mitch Garver singled in the seventh, only to be erased by a Kole Calhoun GIDP, and that was it as far as Rangers baserunners went until the eighth inning, when Jonah Heim homered to make it 5-1.
• With two outs in the ninth, the Rangers attempted to rally, with Garver homering off of Angels reliever Aaron Loup to make it 5-2, and then Calhoun drawing a walk, prompting Joe Maddon to bring in closer Raisel Iglesias. Adolis Garcia doubled home Calhoun, making it 5-3 and bringing up Jonah Heim as the tying run, but Heim struck out on three pitches to end the game.
• After scoring 30 runs in a four game stretch last week, the Rangers have now scored ten runs in their last five games. Not going to win many games that way.
• Dane Dunning topped out at 90.5 mph on his sinker, averaging 89.5 mph. Garrett Richards topped out at 94.2 mph on his fastball.
• Mitch Garver’s home run was 108.1 mph off the bat. He also had a 101.4 mph flyout. Nathaniel Lowe had a 101.3 mph ground out. Adolis Garcia had a 100.7 mph fly out. Jonah Heim had a 100.3 mph home run and a 99.6 mph single.
• Texas goes for the split on Wednesday, and looks to break the three game losing streak.