Thoughts on a 1-0 Rangers loss

Yankees 1, Rangers 0

• How disappointing. How frustrating.
• A really strong performance from Jon Gray. Just one issue, one problem, fastball to Billy McKinney that was supposed to be on the outer part of the plate but instead was low and in. McKinney cranked it out of the park, and that was that.
• Gray got pulled after five innings and just 82 pitches. I thought he’d get to go longer, but no. Maybe not wanting to push him farther and possibly deal with a blister recurrence? I don’t know.
• Grant Anderson went two innings and cruised, striking out four. Joe Barlow threw a scoreless inning. The pitchers, starter and relievers, did their job.
• And the Rangers offense had opportunities. Nathaniel Lowe gets thrown out at home on a Josh Jung single with two outs in the first. A questionable send, maybe, though the break even there is around 35%-40%. But it wasn’t close.
• Texas had two on with no outs in both the eighth and the ninth. The eighth was particularly frustrating, since it looked like Lowe, the third batter of the inning, drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. But no, the very borderline pitch was called a strike, Lowe was out, Adolis Garcia bounced out for the second out, and Josh Jung fanned to end the inning.
• Ninth inning, two on, no one out, Ezequiel Duran struck out, Leody Taveras struck out, Marcus Semien popped out. Game over.
• It was a winnable game. It’s vexing to see the offense go out like that.
• A big division lead, at least, makes it a little less painful.
• Jon Gray topped out at 97.6 mph with his fastball, averaging 95.4 mph. Grant Anderson’s sinker hit 94.1 mph. Joe Barlow’s fastball maxed out at 94.0 mph.
• Corey Seager had a 105,8 mph single. Mitch Garver had a 105.6 mpg fly out. Leody Taveras had a 105.4 mph fly out and a 101.8 mph lineout. Jonah Heim had a 104.5 mph double. Adolis Garcia had a 103.9 mph ground out. Ezequiel Duran had ground outs at 103.7 mph and 100.9 mph. Marcus Semien had singles at 102.4 mph and 101.8 mph. Nathaniel Lowe had a 100.2 mph ground out.
• Nathan Eovaldi versus Gerrit Cole Sunday in the finale. Hopefully Texas scores some runs.