Texas Rangers July 4 Week in Review: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

Jul 3, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Chi Chi  Gonzalez (21) is pulled from the game during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

2. Chi Chi Gonzalez

Gonzalez had a rough week in his two starts. After not giving up a run in his first two starts over 14.2 innings, Gonzalez has given up at least one run in his last five starts and has given up over three runs in his last three starts. For the season, Gonzalez now has a 2-4 record with a 3.74 ERA in 43.1 innings.

This past week Gonzalez took the loss in both of his starts. Against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, Gonzalez gave up three runs on four hits over 6.0 innings. He struck out three and walked four and the Rangers ended up losing the game 2-3. In last night’s game against the Angels, he gave up six runs on five hits in just 1.2 innings and saw his ERA climb from 2.59 to 3.74. He struck out one and walked two and the Rangers ended up losing 2-8.

Gonzalez has been struggling recently but at just 23-years-old has plenty of time to get back on track. As a new pitcher, Gonzalez had the upper hand as teams had never seen Gonzalez pitch in the big leagues before. Teams now have a better scouting report on him and have taken back the upper hand. It is up to Gonzalez to figure out how to get things back in his favor so he can get back to the way he pitched in the beginning. If he can’t, he could see his spot lost to the return of Matt Harrison or Martin Perez.

Next: Martinez optioned