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Texas Rangers Fall 2-1 To Mariners: One Big Takeaway

By Kenneth Nash

SEATTLE, WA - MAY 28: Second baseman Rougned Odor #12 of the Texas Rangers tags out a stealing Kyle Seager #15 of the Seattle Mariners at second base during the eighth inning of a game at Safeco Field on May 28, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won the game 2-1. MLB players across the league are wearing special uniforms to commemorate Memorial Day. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - MAY 28: Second baseman Rougned Odor #12 of the Texas Rangers tags out a stealing Kyle Seager #15 of the Seattle Mariners at second base during the eighth inning of a game at Safeco Field on May 28, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won the game 2-1. MLB players across the league are wearing special uniforms to commemorate Memorial Day. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /
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The Texas Rangers dropped a Memorial Day matchup against the Seattle Mariners losing 2-1 on Monday.

The Rangers struggled to manufacture any offense Monday against the Seattle Mariners. Texas mustered just 5 hits in the contest which helped waste a good start on the mound by Doug Fister. Here’s our one big takeaway from the matchup.

Texas Still Lacks Quality With Runners In Scoring Position

It’s a fact that fans have picked up on in the past couple of series. The Rangers cannot seem to get the big hit consistently when they have runner in scoring position. This trend continued Monday in a game where Texas could only produce a single run in 9 innings. Texas had three opportunities to put runs on the board with runners in scoring position and failed to get a hit in all three. Ronald Guzman, Shin-Soo Choo and Delino DeShields were the players with the chances for Texas. This very well could have been the difference in the game. Seattle, conversely, went 2-6 in similar opportunities which coincidentally were their 2 runs in the game.

This is a key aspect to the game that is a glaring problem when a team is struggling. As a club, the Rangers are a combined 8-43 with RISP dating back to the beginning of the series against the Royals. That combined .186 batting average plays a big part in why they’ve lost their last two games by a combined 3 runs. If there’s a bright spot in all of this, it’s that it isn’t hard to identify the problem for the club. However, fixing this isn’t as simple as saying they need to hit better. The Rangers have struggled with plate vision and discipline all year and until that is fixed, they’ll continue to struggle in these situations.

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Recap

As was aforementioned, Texas struggled at the plate Monday against the Mariners only able to come up with a run in the game falling 2-1. Doug Fister put forth a quality start 6 innings and allowing just the 2 runs. Texas’ lone run came off a passed ball that Rougned Odor was able to score on. Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager drove in the runs for the Mariners in the game.

Notables

Nelson Cruz (SEA) 1-4, RBI, SO

Kyle Seager (SEA) 1-3, RBI, BB

Rougned Odor (TEX) 2-3, R

WP: Marco Gonzales (5-3) 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 K, 4 BB

LP: Doug Fister (1-5) 6 IP, 2 ER, 2 K, BB

SV: Edwin Diaz (19) 1 IP, K, BB

Next Game

The Rangers and Mariners will face off in the second game of the series Tuesday night, with first pitch slated for 9:10 CT.

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