Texas Rangers: 2 quick takeaways from the series loss to San Francisco

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Coming off back-to-back series wins over the Twins and Mariners, the hopes were high heading into a two-game stretch against the surging San Francisco Giants. Despite the impressive level of play that San Fran had been playing at heading into Monday night, there was a bit of a silent buzz surrounding the Texas Rangers that had some believing they could at minimum split the series.

Texas Rangers dropped 2/2 to San Francisco this week.

Alas, that was not the case, as the Giants grinded out two close ballgames at home and exited the series with the two-game sweep.

Here are two quick takeaways from the early week affair:

Kyle Gibson still pitched really well.

Ultimately charged with neither a win nor a loss, Kyle Gibson still had himself quite the outing on Monday.

The Rangers’ newfound “Ace” went 6.0 innings, striking out six while allowing just one run to cross the plate. Gibson’s season ERA sits at a 2.28 – still one of the best marks in the ever competitive American League.

Gibson’s ascension into a legitimate All-Star caliber talent is not something anyone expected to see occur this season, but the veteran right-hander keeps on churning out impressive outings nevertheless. Its shame that he didn’t get better run support on Monday, because he in all honesty deserved to walk away with a win that night.

There’s still a lot of baseball left to be played this season and it remains unclear if Gibson has a future with the Texas Rangers or not, but in the meantime, the Rangers have a legitimate #1 pitcher whom I feel confident in every time he takes the mound.

May 10, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Charlie Culberson (2) hits a RBI single during the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /

Hitting with runners in scoring position was an issue.

For the most part, the Rangers’ pitching staff held their own against the Giants on Monday and Tuesday. They only allowed a combined total of seven runs to score, with it primarily coming in spurts.

The offense, on the other hand, had some issues.

The Rangers offense combined to go 1-12 with runners in scoring position over the two losses, leaving a total of 12 runners on base as well. It was a rather frustrating development considering just how good the bats looked against Seattle, a development that cost them a chance at a series split.

For what it’s worth, the Giants pitching staff has been one of the better ones in baseball. Starters Alex Wood and Logan Webb both put in productive outings, and the team’s bullpen has a rather unique mix of arms that has been able to keep opposing hitters off balance all season long.

As things currently stand, the Giants actually have the fifth best team ERA in baseball, so it’s not the end of the world that the Rangers weren’t able to generate a ton of offense this past series.

Next. Examining Khris Davis’ first taste of Texas Rangers baseball. dark

With the said, leaving 12 runners on base and going 1-12 with RISP isn’t something that should just be ignored. With tough opponents in the Astros and the Yankees up next in the schedule, the Rangers offense is going to have to do a better job of capitalizing on their opportunities.

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Texas Rangers: 2 quick takeaways from the series loss to San Francisco

Texas Rangers dropped 2/2 to San Francisco this week.

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Kyle Gibson still pitched really well.

Hitting with runners in scoring position was an issue.

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