It was another bad night for the offense. On the day that the Rangers and Angels finally completed the trade for Josh Hamilton the offense could generate only one run that came from an error off of a wild throw from shortstop Brad Miller. It continued a bad trend from their weekend series against the Angels when the Rangers just could not come up with that big hit that could blow the game wide open. I got the feeling that it just seems like they have the wrong people up at those opportune times, but then Prince Fielder struck out with Leonys Martin on second in the 8th. This loss dropped the Rangers to last place in the division by themselves at 7-12 and they are now 1-3 in this very important 9 game stretch. There is still time to rebound, but they must start winning tonight. 5 games under .500 is not impossible to rebound from, but 10 games under .500 pretty much ensures that is where you will finish the season. Right now, that is the direction the team is headed to. Still plenty of time to turn it around though, but it has to start now.

The team also fell to 0-7 on the season following a win. Much like the other 6 games that followed a win, it was their defense that put them behind early. In the first inning alone Gallardo walked the first two hitters, but then was able to induce a ground ball of the bat of Robinson Cano that should have been a double play. Roughned Odor bobbled the ball and was only able to get one. That allowed Cruz to knock in a run. Then Kyle Seager grounded to Mitch Moreland who tried to start a double play by throwing to Elvis at second and then back to Gallardo at first, but Elvis threw it way wide and that allowed Cano to come home with the second run of the game. Before the Rangers could bat they were already down 2-0. That was pretty much it as the offense could only generate 1 run.

The offense had opportunities, especially late. They had runners in scoring position in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings. In the 7th they had two runners on and then Robinson Chirinos skied out to center on the first pitch. In the 8th Martin was on second with no outs, but Jake Smolinksi popped out to foul territory, Prince Fielder struck out, and Adrian Beltre grounded out to the pitcher. In the 9th they had runners on 1st and second, but Chirinos once again lined out to center field to end the game. They just cannot string enough hits together right now to have long rallies and that is a major problem, one that I am sure not even having Josh Hamilton in the lineup will fix. It has to come from the players already on the team. They have enough talent in that lineup to be able to score more than 1 or 2 runs a game. They have shown that as well. They scored 10 runs in a win against Oakland, 10 runs in a loss against the Mariners, 7 runs in a win against the Diamondbacks, but right now they just are not hitting for power or hitting really much at all. I know that these guys are trying, it is pretty obvious that they are. It just is a matter that right now what they are doing is not working. I don’t know whether it is the game plan or just their approach at the plate, but whatever it is it needs to change in order for them to start scoring runs.

Other Game Notes

• Elvis Andrus even though he committed another error was actually a bright spot at the plate. He started to hit well at the end of the road trip and that continued last night as he went 2-4 in the game. After hitting .163 through the first 12 games, he has hit .312 (10-32) over the last 7 games. He is starting to heat up and may soon be moved back to the number two spot to hopefully form the dynamic duo at the top of the lineup that the Rangers were envisioning when putting together this roster.
• Yovanni Gallardo wasn’t mentioned in the recap, but he pitched well. He came out of the bullpen and walked the first two hitters, but should have only given one run in the first inning. His defense failed him and contributed to him allowing two runs in the inning. He bounced back from that though and retired the next 12 hitters though and was able to pitch through 6 innings and record a quality start. It just was not good enough to get the win and so his record dropped to 2-3 and that makes two straight losses after two straight wins. Hopefully if he can pitch like this in the future that the offense can score enough runs for him to win.
• Shin Soo Choo continued his slump as he went 0-4 to continue his hitless streak to 0-19 and his slump to 2-38. He is in the longest hitless streak of his career and his batting average is among the lowest in the league at .096. Throughout his career he has been as Jeff Banister describes it a “professional hitter”. I went through his career dating back to his time with the Mariners and I could only find 3 examples of stretches like this. In 2008 he had an 0-14 stretch. In 2011 he went 0-16 in a stretch  to drop BA to .217, rebounded to get hits in 20 of next 22 games. Last season he had an 0-17 stretch, but rebounded to get hits in 10 of 11 games. Normally he doesn’t stay cold for long and when he rebounds he just racks up the hits. The Rangers have to keep playing him, not just because of the contract, but because of the hope that today will be the day that it ends. Once, it ends I believe he will get the stroke back and start lining singles and doubles into the gap. Until that point it will be hard to watch. It seems like doesn’t have a coherent strategy at the plate. For example in the 9th inning he came up and tried to bunt on the first pitch. The only thing a bunt would have accomplished is get them an out closer to losing the game. The pitch was a strike and he then ended up striking out on 3 pitches. It was pathetic to watch. I still have hope that he can turn it around, just based on his track record. Lets hope that is starts tonight.
• Before the game the Rangers made a move with their bullpen in sending Tanner Scheppers down to Round Rock and promoting left-handed reliever Alex Claudio. This gives the team a left-hander in the bullpen for the first time all season. It also allows Scheppers to go down to the minors and work on his control in a more low pressure environment. Since coming up 10 days ago he has been very erratic. He had that appearance in Seattle where he walked the bases loaded. He also had an appearance over the weekend where he walked two batters and hit another batter and had to be relieved by Anthony Bass. It appears the Rangers just didn’t think he would be able to find his control in the major league games, but they don’t think he will be down for long and neither do I. If he can go down to Round Rock and do well for a week to 10 days, I would not be surprised if they brought him right back up in that period of time. Better to lose him for 10 days than not have him pitch well all season long.
• Finally, the Josh Hamilton presser. After watching it and seeing the joy on Hamilton’s face I am glad that he is back. This is where he belongs and I hope the Ranger fans will show him the appreciation he deserves in his first game back sometime next month. I don’t know how good he will be, but I do know that he will give everything he has to this team. Will it be enough to make a difference in a playoff race, who knows? Any fan who doesn’t say that they are intrigued or excited about it is lying. This is the most interesting story revolving around this team for the next 5 months. It may impact the development of prospects like Ryan Rua in the short term, but if Rua plays well in the time he is given they will find a spot for him. It will be up to Rua to determine how much playing time he will get. I still believe it will be somewhat of a platoon between him and Hamilton. I am excited and I really do hope he plays well. I look forward to seeing him once again in a Texas Rangers uniform.
• Tonight is game two of the series between the Mariners and the Rangers. It will be J.A. Happ of the Mariners going up against Ross Detweiler of the Rangers. A battle of young left-handers. The Rangers have struggled against left-handers so far this season and Ross Detweiler has struggled against everyone he has faced. The Rangers face an uphill battle tonight, but one they need to win especially with Felix Hernandez on the mound tomorrow night. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. Lets Go Rangers!!!!!!