The Texas Rangers’ strong early-season vibes have come crashing down.
After winning four of their first five games, the Rangers have lost four in a row after being swept at home over the weekend by the Cincinnati Reds.
Texas will look to turn the tide once more when it faces the Seattle Mariners in a three-game series starting Monday night in Arlington, Texas.
“We’ve got to figure out what went wrong,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said after Sunday’s 2-1 loss. “What did we miss? What are things I can do better to get guys ready and win more games?”
In the big picture, the “wrong” from the series against Cincinnati seems clear. Texas managed just four runs on 18 hits over the three-game set, striking out 31 times and finishing 3-for-18 with runners in scoring position.
That hampered a strong showing on the mound for the Rangers’ staff, which allowed just seven runs over the series.
“I think we’re a better offense than we showed,” designated hitter Joc Pederson said. “There’s no excuses. We still got to score some more runs.”
The Mariners also head to Texas feeling a bit down after back-to-back one-run road losses against the Los Angeles Angels. The second of those, an 8-7, 11-inning defeat in Sunday’s rubber match, saw Seattle squander three separate leads.
After winning the AL West for the first time since 2001 and coming a win away from a World Series trip, Seattle is in an early slump this season, having lost four of the last five.
The Mariners, who struck out 15 times Sunday, rank second-to-last in the majors in batting average (.198) and have the second-most strikeouts at the plate (104).
“We know who we are,” Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez said. “Sometimes, it can be early on and you’re kind of finding your rhythm in the season. But like, we know who we are. We’re a great defensive team, offensive team, and we pitch well. We’re going to give trouble to anybody.”
In the series opener, both teams will turn to right-handed pitchers who are looking to find their form early this season.
Seattle will throw Logan Gilbert (0-1, 6.75 ERA), who was hit hard and allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings in his last start against the New York Yankees.
Gilbert hasn’t posted an ERA above 3.73 since his rookie season in 2021. The Rangers could be the fix for Gilbert’s early-season struggles. He has a 5-2 record and 2.90 ERA in 16 career appearances against the division foe with 97 strikeouts and 20 walks.
Texas will start Jacob deGrom (0-0, 5.79), who was scratched from his scheduled start in the second game of the season March 28 due to neck stiffness but managed to pitch just three days later than anticipated.
He allowed three runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings March 31 vs. Baltimore.
deGrom’s Rangers tenure has been a bit hit or miss in terms of availability. He had a 2.97 ERA over 30 starts and 172 2/3 innings last season, but made just nine total starts over his first two seasons with Texas in 2023-24.
The 37-year-old is 2-2 with a 3.48 ERA in seven career appearances against Seattle.
–Field Level Media
