Rangers need to accept that the Tyler Alexander opener experiment must end

Tyler Alexander has been an incredibly versatile weapon for the Texas Rangers, making a thin bullpen workable in times of need. He wears many hats and has helped the Rangers escape many jams this season. Having a guy who went down in the record books as the first-ever pitcher to record a save and make a "start" the following day is a true blessing, but leaning too far into this versatility is asking for trouble.

On Wednesday, the Rangers went back to a formula that's been working for them for most of the season -- using Alexander as an opener to protect a weaker starter. In this case, it was Cal Quantrill.

There was some logic to the move. Alexander came in having yet to allow a run while only yielding one hit in his three prior appearances as an opener. On top of that, Quantrill had gotten knocked around in his previous start, surrendering six earned runs over four innings to the Atlanta Braves on July 17.

Additionally, the strength of the Chicago White Sox lineup primarily rests with their left-handed bats, making a southpaw like Alexander a smart choice to try and disrupt them early. Furthermore, after using only Marco Gonzales out of the pen the previous day, and with an off day immediately following Wednesday's contest, there was reason for Skip Schumaker to believe that he could safely empty his bullpen if needed.

Despite logic supporting Tyler Alexander's cameos as an opener, the Rangers need to retire that strategy

Texas ended up taking the loss as Alexander was no longer perfect, allowing one earned run over two innings pitched. Still, he wasn't the biggest reason why the club suffered a 4-2 defeat.

Quantrill got into trouble in the fourth and ended up allowing a pair of runs to cross as he hurt himself with walks. He'd pitch just three innings in total, leading Schumaker to run through the vast majority of his bullpen.

Jakob Junis took the ball from Quantrill in the sixth and coughed up a run. That's to be expected as he works his way back from injury. From there, the Rangers used Robby Ahlstrom, Peyton Gray, and Jacob Latz. Going to Latz while trailing by two runs is less than ideal given the workload he's shouldered thus far.

Now, with Thursday as an off day, it's somewhat excusable to use Latz and the others, but it's a gamble to bring in the All-Star closer in a non-save situation, even if he hadn't pitched since Saturday. Latz has become one of the most unique bullpen weapons in the game, and with such a thin unit, it makes sense to protect him as much as possible from injury risk.

And that brings us back to Alexander. One of the things that makes Alexander so valuable is that he has succeeded no matter what his role has been. The Rangers have needed him to close out games when Latz isn't available, and he's done it. They've needed him to serve as the primary setup man at times, specifically when Junis was on the IL, and he's thrived. They've also used him as a fireman, getting out of jams that could massively tip the scales, no matter what time of the game it is.

Texas can't turn to Alexander for those things if he's the opener, and the state of the bullpen leaves the team with few options to turn to in those harrowing moments. The Rangers may no longer be rostering five rookies, but they still have three in Peyton Gray, Ben Peoples, and Ahlstrom. The players who have replaced Collyer are Marco Gonzales, who hasn't been great in Triple-A and is working his way back from a serious injury, and, of course, Junis, who was recently activated from the IL.

Cole Winn can't be trusted, Ahlstrom has been up and down, and we've yet to see enough from Peoples to truly believe in him yet. Addressing the relief corps is a key trade deadline need, but for now, Schumaker is going to have to manage the unit tactically and efficiently. If he doesn't, disaster will strike, and if he continues to use Alexander as an opener, he's ensuring he can't turn to one of his key horses once the game is on the line.

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