Texas Rangers: Nick Martinez Pitches Well, But Not Enough

The Rangers couldn’t pull off the victory against the Angels on Friday as bullpen issues crushed Texas. Despite the loss, there were still positives to take away from this game.

It was a close game, but an eighth inning blast by slugger Albert Pujols ended the Rangers chances on Friday. The Angels continue to cruise as that victory on Friday marks their fifth straight win. As for the Rangers, well they’ve lost three of four.

The biggest takeaway from this game was obviously Angels’ slugger Albert Pujols climbing to 15th all-time on the RBI list with his late inning home run off Jeremy Jeffress. He is on the rival team, but Pujols does deserve the credit as he’s put together a Hall of Fame career.

The solid start by Nick Martinez was lost after a late inning bullpen collapse, but it shouldn’t be forgotten. The game started off with Yunel Escobar hitting a home run, but Martinez settled down after that.

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He finished with six innings pitched, five hits, three earned run, and seven strikeouts. It was likely his last start as A.J. Griffin should return from the disabled list next week. He might not be gone for long though, as Martinez pitched well in his two starts this season.

The bullpen continues to struggle for the Rangers, but it could have been avoided. According to T.R. Sullivan and Dave Sessions, relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress doesn’t like to listen to advice.

“Prior to Pujols coming to the plate, pitching coach Doug Brocail went to the mound and told Jeffress to attack Pujols with his best pitch, which is the sinker. That’s what catcher Jonathan Lucroy signaled for, but Jeffress threw a curve instead.”

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It was a 6-3 loss for the Rangers, but it wasn’t all bad. The start by Martinez was strong, and relief pitcher Sam Dyson returned with a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.