Thoughts on a 7-3 Rangers loss

Astros 7, Rangers 3

• That was less fun than the previous game.
• And also something of a “welcome to big leagues, kid” experience for Cole Ragans.
• Ragans went 4.1 IP and gave up five runs, courtesy of a three run Martin Maldonado home run and a two run Alex Bregman home run. He was not fooling the Astros hitters today — in 88 pitches he generated just six swings and misses and got only ten called strikes, which explains his only registering one strikeout.
• The issue appeared to be an overall lack of command, both failing to throw strikes, particularly early in counts, and then leaving pitches out over the plate that Astros hitters could punish.
• It wasn’t a good start for Ragans, but it was also just his second major league start.
• We had the return of John King in this game, with the newly called up lefty retiring five of the six batters he faced, and generating a lot of ground balls, which is what he does when he’s pitching well.
• King may end up getting sent back down before Friday’s game against the Mariners, which will be a bullpen game started by Josh Sborz. Texas could look to get an extra arm up to help fortify a bullpen that will need some guys to go multiple innings against Seattle (wait…is that Brock Burke’s music I hear?).
• Speaking of multiple innings…Garrett Richards got to finish things out, pitching the final two innings and giving up a pair of runs. Richards has gone from a guy signed to be a multi-inning reliever to being…well, to being a multi-inning reliever, but one who works in a mop-up role. And I guess he could end up getting cut loose, if the Rangers want a fresh arm, rather than King being sent down.
• Framber Valdez frambled the Rangers lineup — the three runs the Rangers scored came in the final two innings, after Valdez had left the game. Nathaniel Lowe and Leody Taveras each had two out RBI hits in the eighth, and Marcus Semien had a solo homer in the ninth.
• Leody Taveras was the only Rangers hitter with more than one hit — he had a pair of singles. Marcus Semien’s home run was the only Ranger XBH in the game, and he also drew the only walks of the game that the Rangers drew.
• Cole Ragans topped out at 93.8 mph on his fastball, averaging 91.6 mph. John King topped out at 93.6 mph on his sinker. Garrett Richards hit 95.9 mph on his fastball.
• Leody Taveras had a 106.4 mph single. Adolis Garcia had a 105.0 mph groundout. Jonah Heim had a 101.8 mph fly out.
• Happiness is the Juice Box in your rearview mirror.