Thoughts on a 4-3 Rangers loss

Astros 4, Rangers 3

• That was unfortunate.
• With Nathan Eovaldi being skipped and this game being marked down as a TBA for the probable starter, I think we were anticipated some potential difficulties. The ultimate announcement that Yerry Rodriguez, rather than Cody Bradford or Owen White, would be starting the game provided an added level of befuddlement, since, you know, Yerry isn’t a starter.
• It looked like it was working out, though, after one inning, with Yerry cruising through a 1-2-3 first. So use him as an opener and then bring in Bradford?
• But no. Yerry lost command of his slider to start the third and went walk single double to start the second. He recovered to retire the final three batters, but two runs came in.
• Cody Bradford, in the bulk role or whatever you want to call it, did fine. Five innings, no walks, three Ks. Six hits, though two of them were home runs, and so that was a bit of a problem, but, I mean, we will take two runs in five innings from Cody Bradford, right?
• And then Spencer Howard made an appearance for an inning, which I’m sure excited everyone, after Kyle Tucker led off the eighth with a single. Howard retired all three batters he faced though.
• Alas, four runs allowed was too many on this fine Tuesday.
• The Rangers offense generated baserunners. Nine hits on the day, plus three walks. Unfortunately, there were also three GIDPs to erase baserunners and snuff out rallies. Their first run wasn’t even courtesy of a hit…rather, it was via a two out error by Jeremy Pena on an Adolis Garcia grounder that allowed Marcus Semien to score.
• We mentioned GIDPs erasing baserunners, right? There is also a little issue of an overturned safe call at the plate in the eighth inning. After a one out Marcus Semien single, Travis Jankowski doubled to left field. Semien was sent home, called safe, 4-2 game. Yay!
• But no. The play was challenged. It didn’t appear to be a play that would be overturned. And yet…it was. Boo!
• And so when Mitch Garver homered with a runner on and two outs in the ninth, instead of tying the game, it made it a 4-3 game. And when Kyle Tucker made a leaping catch of a Leody Taveras rocket one batter later, that was the ball game.
• Dammit.
• Yerry Rodriguez hit 99.4 mph with his fastball. Cody Bradford topped out at 91.4 mph. Spencer Howard reached 96.3 mph.
• Ezequiel Duran had line outs at 107.4 mph, 101.2 mph, and 100.6 mph. Leody Taveras’s fly out to end the game was 107.2 mph. Mitch Garver’s home run was 105.9 mph. Jonah Heim had a 102.2 mph single.
• Two one run losses in Houston. Sigh. What did Ron Washington used to say?