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The Texas Rangers scored five runs but the Los Angeles Dodgers scored eleven runs.
There are several nebulous, auxiliary things that you could point to as reasons for tonight’s streak-snapping loss for the Rangers. The main actual surface level reason is that the Dodgers are really good and have a lineup that can wear you out, which it did to Texas tonight.
But did Bruce Bochy get too enamored with Alex Speas after the reliever’s electric debut which perhaps caused him to think a guy in his second big league appearance was the right call against the scary top of the Dodgers lineup with a one-run lead instead of the rested 100+ MPH-chuckin’ behemoth the team traded for?
Perhaps instead it was that Jose Leclerc couldn’t get through the 6th inning without allowing the Dodgers to turn over that lineup by allowing three bases runners against the bottom of the order?
Did losing the lead mean the dugout decision makers didn’t want to waste a Chapman/Will Smith bullet in a game the Rangers were trailing which allowed the contest to snowball when Grant Anderson was once again called on to be the late-innings, high leverage reliever that he doesn’t appear to be suited for?
Maybe it was that Andrew Heaney can’t be counted on for anything more than around 80 pitches or five innings which caused the Rangers to need four innings out of a bullpen that is still being figured out?
Hell, maybe it’s because some nerd named Jonny Deluca exists and his extra base-robbing glove didn’t allow the Rangers to take a more comfortable lead to set the bullpen up in better shape.
Whatever the case, Texas saw their season best streak end at six games and earned their first loss of the second half.
Player of the Game: Well, it was Corey Seager but then he got hurt...
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Up Next: More Rangers and Dodgers with RHP Dane Dunning next up for Texas against RHP Bobby Miller for Los Angeles.
Saturday afternoon’s first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 3:05 pm CT and will be aired on BS Southwest.
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