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Rangers Drops Series to the Blue Jays: 3 Takeaways

By Kenneth Nash

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 07: Justin Smoak
ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 07: Justin Smoak /
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The Texas Rangers wrapped up their third series of the season dropping games 1 and 3 to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Rangers fell to 4-7 on the season after losing the first and third games of a three game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Here are Nolan Writin’s three takeaways from the weekend matchup.

Ryan Rua Continues To Struggle

Ryan Rua was named by Jeff Banister as the everyday left fielder for the Rangers at the start of the season. Despite Banister’s commitment to Rua, the outfielder has struggled early on at the plate including going 2 for 9 against the Blue Jays. Rua’s average sits at .138 with a .161 OBP to this point in the season and many have called for a change to be made. Defensively, Rua has played fairly well, yet to commit an error. However many feel that his liability at the plate outweighs his solid glove.

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    • Matt Moore Has Another Bad Outing

    Matt Moore was another one of the Rangers offseason pitching additions and was expected to shore up the back end of the rotation. Moore however, has had two rough outings one against the Astros and the other coming in the first game of the series against Toronto. Moore went just 3.1 innings allowing 5 earned runs on 5 hits. The lefty also surrounded 4 walks while striking out just 1 in the loss. This marks the second time that Moore has failed to make it past the 4th inning and is setting a scary early trend. The 29-year old now sits at 0-2 on the year with an 11.05 ERA in just 7.1 innings.

    Mike Minor Still Has Gas In The Tank

    When the Rangers signed Mike Minor this past offseason, the deal made few waves and was considered by many, including yours truly, to be a depth deal. Minor though, at just 30-years old, has shown that he still has the ability to be an impact starter. Minor picked up his first win of the season in a 5-1 win over Toronto. The lefty threw 6 innings allowing just 2 hits and 1 earned run. Along the way, he struck out 7 while walking just 2 batters. The win moved Minor to 1-1 on the season with a 2.53 ERA.

    Texas signed Minor who was a free agent sought after by many. The Rangers though offered Minor the chance to crack the starting rotation which effectively sealed the deal. Minor, who is making just over $8 million this season, has the chance to work his way near the top of the rotation and play a big role in the Rangers season moving forward.

    What did you take away from this Rangers most recent series? Comment below.

    Next: Monday Morning Power Rankings

    Upcoming Series

    The Rangers will open up a 3-game home series against the Angels tonight with first pitch slotted for 7:05 CT. Texas is expected to send Doug Fister to the mound Monday followed by Perez on Tuesday and Moore on Wednesday. The Angels are coming off a series win against the Athletics and currently sit at 7-3.

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