Thoughts on an 8-2 Rangers loss

ChiSox 8, Rangers 2

• Blowouts heading into an off day aren’t fun.
• Tomorrow is the Rangers first off day since the All Star Break. Then the Rangers play sixteen straight days starting Tuesday.
• Spencer Howard, man. The dude is maddening. I don’t know what is going on there. You see the flashes where you think, okay, he’s looking good. And then shit goes sideways.
• I guess he’s going to start again in six days. The other options at this point, other than a bullpen game, would be…well, I was going to say Taylor Hearn, but he’s pitching out of the bullpen and I don’t know if they want to keep him on ice until next Saturday, nor do I know if they want to be having him try to pitch a bunch of innings as a starter after using him out of the pen.
• Who else? Kolby Allard? Dallas Keuchel? Kohei Arihara? Cole Winn hasn’t been pitching well. A.J. Alexy is being used in a reliever role, and hasn’t been good. Jake Latz hasn’t pitched since early June, and hasn’t been good.
• So, yeah, Howard or a bullpen game.
• 1.2 scoreless from Brett Martin, though he gave up a single that allowed an inherited run to score. Brock Burke and Matt Moore each logged an inning late, just to get some work with tomorrow’s off day looming. Garrett Richards allowed a pair of runs, one on a bases loaded walk, and you know, I am thinking he’s not getting that $9M option for next year picked up.
• Overall though the bullpen was fine. Six runs allowed by Howard just dug too big a hole.
• Texas actually had chances early. They had two singles in the first, though the hits were sandwiching a GIDP. They scored a run in the third and had the bases loaded with two outs for DH Meibrys Viloria, and I still can’t wrap my mind around the idea of DH Meibrys Viloria. In any case he grounded out to end the inning.
• Texas got hits in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, including a Nathaniel Lowe homer in the seventh, but the non-homer hits went for naught, and really, by late in the game, it was all over but the crying.
• Ezequiel Duran had a couple of hits, including a double, so that’s cool.
• Marcus Semien had a couple of hits, too. So yay that.
• Nathaniel Lowe has, per the broadcast, been challenged to finish the season strong and show he can be a centerpiece for the offense going forward, rather than a guy holding down a spot. He was 3 for 5 with a homer. So there’s that.
• Bah. This was a wet fart of a game and a lousy way to end a series, and a home stand.
• Spencer Howard hit 95.7 mph with his fastball. Garrett Richards fastball touched 95.5 mph. Brett Martin’s sinker reached 94.2 mph. Brock Burke maxed out at 96.5 mph. Matt Moore hit 94.6 mph.
• Nathaniel Lowe’s homer was 110.9 mph off the bat. Adolis Garcia had a 105.5 mph single. Leody Taveras had a lineout at 103.9 mph. Ezequiel Duran had a double at 102.4 mph and a single at 101.0 mph.
• Everyone be safe. Don’t act too wacky out there.