Let’s revisit a couple discussion points from last night, shall we?
Three Up, Three Down from Texas 4, Tampa Bay 3.
Up First.
From last night’s postgamer:
From today:
About three seconds later, the score — and the lead — had changed, thanks to Marcus Semien.
You might quibble that 1 for 3 with a walk and two first-pitch groundouts to third base doesn’t exactly equate to a heater, but when the “1” is a a 105-mph, two-out, two-run, post-seventh-inning-stretch, no-doubt bomb that basically wins the game, forgive me if I have no time for your argument.
Marcus needed that. The Rangers needed that.
Up Second.
Andrew Heaney was fantastic but once again got tagged with a hard-luck no-decision. That’s for the surface-stat crowd, though. He’s absolutely the reason Semien was in a position to deliver a game-winning blast.
In 17 starts, Heaney has allowed more than three earned runs just twice. Today, he permitted zero, as he scattered three hits and two walks in a scoreless 5 ⅓, punching out seven — including the 1000th victim of his career.
Another really good effort from one of the most dependable pitchers on the team.
Up Third.
David Robertson (nine pitches).
Kirby Yates (10 pitches).
Clockwork.
One Down.
After last night’s win, I wrote this about Jacob Latz:
Today, given a 2-0 lead to protect, he departed with a 3-2 deficit.
The bothersome part is that when Latz is elevating his fastball too much to get a swing, he doesn’t have enough else to lean on to finish hitters off. His slider lacked any bite today and repeatedly got fouled off. He leaned on the changeup a bunch and wasn’t commanding it.
This is the Yandy Diaz at-bat that momentarily turned the game around.
The first-pitch fastball was non-competitive, an easy take. The second pitch, also a fastball, was well placed and evened the count.
Then four straight changeups — two non-competitive and two in brutally bad locations for an offspeed pitch, belt high and out over the plate. Diaz drove the second of them out of the park, changing the game.
In his last six appearances, Latz has allowed four earned runs (five altogether) on seven hits and six walks in 2 ⅔ innings — and on top of the runs that have landed on his own ledger, he’s also allowed all four runners he inherited to score.
I’d say this can’t continue, but Latz has had really good stretches this year and there’s benefit to having a lefthander to go to in a key spot. Still, it’s not going well right now.
Two Down.
Hopefully this is just going to be a rust-shaking period for Josh Sborz, but the fastball was just 93-94 before it started cooking at 95-96 after his second up, and the breaking ball command was inconsistent.
I’ve got faith in Sborz to round into form, and sure hope he does. It would really upgrade the look of the pen.
Three Down.
Not a great day for Wyatt Langford, who went hitless in four trips, drew a walk but was thrown out easily trying to steal (which should never happen if he’s getting good jumps), grounded into an inning-ending double-play with men on the corners and one out in the third inning, and uncharacteristically pulled up short on two balls in left field, one that fell behind him in left center in the first inning and another a foul ball that eluded him in the corner.
Due Up.
Is asking for a sweep too much?
(Narrator: It is not.)
Former Ray Nathan Eovaldi takes the ball against former Ranger (farmhand) Zack Littell. Let’s go.
Jamey - I trust Bochy but, man , Heaney had got the first out on 1 pitch and just would have given him the opportunity to go 6 full and then bring in Sborz, Robertson , Yates
Leody allowing the tying runner to advance to second in the seventh was a mute point after the home run, but just another example where he seems to be lost when it comes to fundamentals.