Thoughts on a 4-2 Rangers loss

M’s 4, Rangers 2

• The biggest surprise is that the Rangers didn’t score one in the ninth to make it a one run loss.
• You have to feel for Jon Gray. He pitched a good game. He gave up a bullshit run in the second, on a softly hit single, and then an infield single and a bloop double that added together didn’t have a 100 mph EV.
• He didn’t give up a hit again until the 7th, when, after issuing a one out walk, he gave up a not real well hit double to Sam Hagerty, the same guy who had the bullshit double in the second.
• Runners on second and third, one out, Julio Rodriguez up. And Gray hung a 1-1 slider that Rodriguez crushed. Three run homer, and the lead was gone — poof — like Keyser Soze after exacting his revenge on the men who killed his family.
• I saw complaint on Twitter about Chris Woodward allowing Gray to face Rodriguez a fourth time. And I get that.
• But I’m not sure there’s anyone I would have felt that much more confident in retiring Gray at that point. And given the recent bullpen problems, I can understand wanting Gray to face Rodriguez.
• Brett Martin rebounded from last night’s disaster to finish out the seventh. I suspect the hope was for Gray to retire Rodriguez then bring in Martin to face the lefty Jesse Winker. Didn’t work out.
• Jonathan Hernandez threw a scoreless eighth, and hopefully he’ll be that guy going forward as he works back from TJS.
• The Rodriguez home run to give the M’s the lead overshadows the fact that the Rangers, once again, didn’t score many runs. Texas had only six hits on the day. Which isnt good. Of course, it’s the same number the M’s had, so…
• We also had late opportunities falling short, as seems to happen so often. Nathaniel Lowe had a one out double in the eighth, then Marcus Semien reached on an E4, but neither could score. A Leody Taveras one out ninth inning single and a two out Ezequiel Duran walk brought the go ahead run to the plate in the ninth, but again, they couldn’t push any runs across.
• Lamentable. And all too familiar.
• Jon Gray touched 99.1 mph on his fastball. Brett Martin hit 94.3 mph on his sinker. Jonathan Hernandez hit 98.4 mph on his sinker.
• Adolis Garcia had a 108.0 mph single. Marcus Semien had a 105.4 mph groundout. Jonah Heim had a 104.9 mph double. Nathaniel Lowe had a 102.8 m0h double. Kole Calhoun had a 100.6 mph fly out.
• To Anaheim. Oh boy.