Game 19: Three Up, Three Down.
The two phases we've been able to count on the most for two seasons ALMOST fail to come through.
Whew.
Three Up, Three Down from Texas 5, Detroit 4.
Up First.
I’m prepared to say the Rangers have the best utility infielder in baseball. Josh Smith is a tremendous shortstop who also plays a plus third base and plus second base and an adequate left field — with enough speed and range to play center and enough arm to play right. He’s a very good baserunner, and a fast one, and can get a bunt down. He’s affordable and seems to accept his role.
And now, he’s hitting like he did in the minor leagues.
Smith came off the bench in the ninth inning to face veteran Shelby Miller — who before today had allowed one hit in 8 1/3 innings all season — and didn’t even need to see a pitch. He turned on Miller’s first offering and drove it 101.4 mph to right center, scoring Ezequiel Duran (who had singled off Spencer Torkelson’s glove) and sending Evan Carter (who had E-3’d off Torkelson’s glove) to third as Smith pulled up at second with just a massive double that essentially decided the game.
He’s been a .319/.418/.404 hitter (.822 OPS) in Josh Jung’s absence. Just huge.
Such a good baseball player.
Up Second.
Kirby Yates is an exceptionally good relief pitcher. He has command and he has stuff that can both miss bats and elicit soft contact on the ground. A year ago, Will Smith was fantastic out of the chute but was doing it with a you-know-it’s-coming slider that he had to be very fine with (and eventually wasn’t). Yates, on the other hand, is pitching like an elite eighth-inning reliever.
Right now, he’s being asked to close games and I’m absolutely good with that.
Five batters today:
Strikeout swinging (with two men on)
Strikeout looking
3-2 walk
Strikeout swinging
Strikeout looking
He’s really damn good.
Up Third.
Nice game from Leody Taveras, who tracked down a number of hard-hit balls in the gaps and seemed to see the ball better than anyone against the impressive Tarik Skubal. His day included a very deep fly to left (104.7 mph) and a single to left, ending Skubal’s day, and a line shot to third that would have scored an added two runs in the ninth if it wasn’t right at Matt Vierling.
I’m hard on Taveras, because of some of the little things in the field (leaving his feet, playing the wall), at the plate (inability to bunt, problematic when teams would never walk Marcus Semien next with an open base), and on the bases (less-than-great jumps or feel). But he’s a good baseball player who is capable of a lot. He did a bunch today.
One Down.
Yesterday’s subtitle was “The two phases we've been able to count on the most for two seasons fail to come through.” I added one word today, just because Texas pulled this one out.
The offense is still trying to find itself. The team was 7 for 33 (.212) today — and that’s with two hits in the ninth — and a lot of the outs came on feeble contact.
And an uncharacteristic throwing error by Corey Seager — a ball that Duran probably should have caught — gifted the Tigers a run that eventually allowed them to tie the game later.
Of course, it was Detroit’s defense that failed the most today. Only two Rangers runs were unearned by the letter of baseball law, but every one of their five scores were preceded by Tiger errors.
Thankfully, some clutch moments at bat and on the mound pulled this one out and we don’t have to dwell on the offense and defense. And, again, the Rangers will be fine in both of those phases.
Two Down.
This really wasn’t a “down” once the full picture of this game was painted, but it could have been.
I wrapped up yesterday’s Three Up, Three Down with this: “Dunning really needs to give Texas six tomorrow.” Elevated pitch counts eliminated that possibility (he was at 63 pitches through three innings), and it meant that Austin Pruitt or an untested Cole Winn was going to have to get big outs in a close game — and also that David Robertson and Yates would be called on in a game that was very nearly lost, when you would have preferred to have them both fresh for Jack Leiter’s start tomorrow.
But Dunning gave the team a chance to win that it ultimately converted on, and with the win you feel just fine about having Robertson and Yates utilized to do it. Whether they’re available tomorrow after throwing 27 and 24 pitches today, respectively, is unknown; it seems unlikely. Jose Leclerc should be good to go, of course.
Dunning threw only 58 percent of his 97 pitches for strikes, and both his stuff and command were at less than peak. But he battled, and made the line score (one earned run on three hits and four walks in five-plus innings with five strikeouts) look a lot better than it could have been.
Limiting damage without your best stuff is a veteran skill. Hat tip to Dunning for getting it done today.
Three Down.
Carter is still stepping in the bucket against left-handed pitchers. Granted, Skubal is one of the best, but it’s noticeable.
Having spent so little time on the showcase circuit in high school, it’s entirely possible Carter had never facead a pro-level lefthander until pro ball. I trust he’ll figure this out with the help of Tim Hyers and Seth Conner. But right now, he looks overmatched against lefties, and that has nothing to do with the stats.
Due Up.
Leiter Day tomorrow. Given where the bullpen is, it might be Cole Winn day, too. In the big picture, if you were to think back a couple years, relying on those two by 2024 would have been within reason, if not absolutely expected. In the moment, it’s fair to say both have been accelerated into these roles out of necessity.
But man, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s game.
I’ve got a delima. Spieth and Sheffield playing together AND Rangers with Leiter. Cant see both streams at same time. I’m gonna go with Lieter.
Robertson and Yates have been amazing. Afraid their age will show in second half with all this usage. Hopefully Leclerc and sborz can become reliables, with them and Latz, and also with a mid season addition, we can keep the old guys fresh surely. If those others don’t hold up their end, bad second halves for the old guys coming.