Mike Minor Flirts with Perfection in Win: One Big Takeaway

The Texas Rangers won their fourth series in a row as Mike Minor flirted with perfection Wednesday against the Padres.

The Texas Rangers were able to pick up a 5-2 win on Wednesday as they won their fourth series in a row. Texas road the start of Mike Minor who flirted with perfection not allowing a baserunner until the 7th inning. The Rangers now sit at 36-46 and are just 5.5 games back of the Angels in the AL West. In their last 11 games, they’ve posted a strong record of 9-2. Here’s our one big takeaway from Wednesday’s game.

Mike Minor May Play Himself Into Trade Discussions

Despite being on a very team friendly contract that would incentivize the Rangers to hold onto Minor, his performances recently may have him entering trade discussions. The 30-year old starter has posted an agreeable 6-4 record with a 4.64 ERA. No he’s not setting the world on fire. However, his 85.1 innings across 15 starts means he’s averaging nearly 6 innings per game. Pair that with 70 strikeouts and just 19 walks and the value may be there for some teams looking to shore up the back end of their rotation down the stretch.

Wednesday, Minor showcased what he’s got when he’s at his best when he went 6.1 innings before allowing a baserunner to the Padres. In total he pitched 7 innings allowing just a single to Eric Hosmer while recording 5 strikeouts. That kind of ability is sure to turn some heads. Pair that with a team friendly contract of 3 years, $28 million and his value may be higher than realized. Now the Texas Rangers may be inclined to hold onto him considering he’s only 30 and doesn’t have too many miles on his arm. But in a season where seemingly anybody is for sale, don’t be surprised if Minor’s name begins to pop up in trade discussions.

Recap

As the tale generally goes, the team that scores first often wins in Major League Baseball. So was the case Wednesday as the Rangers jumped out to an early lead scoring 2 runs in the 3rd and 1 in the 4th. As aforementioned, Mike Minor dominated on the mound, holding the Padres without a baserunner until the 7th inning.

An Isiah Kiner-Falefa RBI single in the 7th extended the Rangers lead to 4-0 before San Diego got 2 runs back in the 8th. Both runs were charged to Chris Martin. The Rangers added an insurance run in the bottom half of the 8th and sent closer Keone Kela to the mound in the 9th to slam the door shut.

* Shin-Soo Choo was able to extend his on-base streak to 40 games

** Keone Kela is a perfect 20 for 20 in save opportunities this season

Notables

Eric Hosmer (SD) 1-3, RBI, BB

Shin-Soo Choo (TEX) 2-4, 2B

Jurickson Profar (TEX) 2-4, 2B, RBI

Ryan Rua (TEX) 1-4, HR

WP: Mike Minor (6-4) 7 IP, 1 H, 5 SO

LP: Clayton Richard (7-7) 7 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 3 SO

SV: Keone Kela (20) 1 IP, 2 SO

Next: Rumors: Texas Rangers Offering Up Three Players Before Deadline

Next Game

The Texas Rangers will get Thursday off before hosting the Chicago White Sox in a weekend series.