One time through the rotation and the Texas Rangers have one starter who has managed to get through five innings – and that was 5 2/3.
Such abbreviated starts would seem a recipe for disaster, but the Rangers have benefited from a game bullpen that has played a major role in helping Texas go 3-2 against the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros, two recent World Series champions and loaded clubs that are expected to make runs at getting back to the Fall Classic.
The Rangers aren’t expected to go far in 2019, and with a starting rotation of Mike Minor, Edinson Volquez, Lance Lynn, Drew Smyly and Shelby Miller, perhaps there’s little reason to believe Texas can continue to keep up a winning pace.
Still, as the Rangers enter the rubber game against division and intrastate rival Houston on Wednesday night in Arlington, Texas is off to its best start after five games since the 2013 season.
“It was amazing,” Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus told Fox Sports Southwest following Tuesday’s 6-4 victory against the Astros in which they put together another late-inning rally. “We stick to our plan, everybody stays calm, believing in the process. We know how good we can be when we stick to the plan.”
It’s a small sample size to be sure, and it will be up to the right-hander Minor (0-1) to try to best the 4 2/3 innings he lasted in the season-opening loss to Chicago, and make it a winning homestand before the Rangers head out on the season’s first road trip.
Texas starts a six-game road trek Thursday with four games at the Los Angeles Angels followed by a pair at the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Astros, who will send Gerrit Cole (0-1) to the mound on Wednesday, surely can’t wait to finally get home to the friendly confines of Minute Maid Park after what will be their seventh consecutive road game to start the season. Their bats slumped in losing three of four at Tampa Bay, and Justin Verlander’s erratic start Tuesday made for just his second start as an Astro in which he did not complete five innings.
The Astros’ offense continued to grind its gears Tuesday, going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position while stranding eight runners there.
“It’s happened before. I think we’ve had some slow starts as an offense before and you look at the end of the year, we still have 100 wins,” said Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, who is hitting .364 in three games since making his debut Sunday. “Nothing to worry about, nobody’s panicking. We know what kind of lineup we have. We know we’re going to score a lot of runs.”
Houston has seen enough of Rangers pitching to know that chasing the starter early isn’t necessarily a path to victory. Texas’ relievers have been solid in the middle innings, and closer Jose Leclerc, signed as a free agent by the Rangers in 2010, is rounding into a quality closer.
He has two saves and three highly efficient outings.