Good news, bad news: Double-digit streak lives on, but Rangers drop 20th game of season

The Texas Rangers are returning to Globe Life Field with yet another unsuccessful road trip, this time dropped four of six in Detroit and the Bronx to fall back to three games under .500 and join the list of MLB teams to lose 20 games this year.

Everything looked positive for Texas heading into the 5th inning of Thursday's series finale agaisnt the Yankees, holding on to a 2-1 lead. Unfortuantely it all unrvaled for MacKenzie Gore and Texas ended up dropping the matinee 9-2.

It was the Rangers most runs surrendered this season, having yet given up 10 runs to any opponent in the first 37 games. It was also the 11th time Texas has scored two or less runs in a game and the third time it happened on the road trip.

Irresponsible lineup leads to game-defining mistakes

Fans knew there was a possibility that Thursday's game wasn't going to look pretty when the lineup was submitted and it featured Joc Pederson in right field.

The 34-year-old Pederson, who switched primarily to designated hitter a few seasons ago, has only defense for the Rangers five times for 22 innings with just three of those innings being in right field. It was going to be a circus and it delivered on that expectation immediately.

To kick off the bottom of the first, Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger hit triples to right field which resulted in the first run of the ball game. While that was really the two biggest mistakes from Pederson before being replaced in the sixth inning, he made a few catches that didn't look comfortable.

Later in the sixth inning after MacKenzie Gore loaded the bases, the Yankees hit what looked to be a catchable ball for Alejandro Osuna in left, but turned into a game-defining three-RBI double by Trent Grisham.

Gore's struggles continue to frustate fans

Everything looked promising early for Gore, kicking off the season with a handful of quality starts but things have taken a turn for the worse ever since an April 19 five inning, five run performance in Seattle.

On Wednesday, the 27-year-old southpaw recorded at least one out in the sixth inning for just the third time of the year. But it was that sixth inning where things unraveled for him, surrendering four runs on two walks and two hits that inning.

For the season, Gore is 2-3 with a 5.18 ERA, 48 strikeouts, 21 walks, .230 opponent batting average and a 1.40 WHIP in 40 innings of work. That's a tough go of it for a former third overall pick that Texas traded five prospects for this offseason, including their 2025 first round infielder in Gavin Fien.

A free agent following the end of the year, right now there's hardly any Ranger fan that would want the team to keep Gore beyond the season. He needs to have a massive change of direction to get back right with the fanbase and he needs to do it quickly.

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