Alan Truex: Despite Lance Lynn’s brilliance, Rangers fade from race
Updated Wednesday, July 17, 2019
There’s always something to be said for rivalry games, with palpable intensity and inherent passion. When a championship is at stake, there’s all the more to say. The Houston Astros are trying to three-peat in the American League West, and the Texas Rangers roared out of the All-Star break ready to catch them. Harold Reynolds called the Rangers “the team that’s been on the move.”
Easy, Harold. Heading into the break, the Rangers lost a series to the White Sox, then one to the Rays, then one to the Twins, before hosting the Astros at Globe Life Field. If they’re moving at all, it’s little more than treading water.
Speaking on MLB Network, the Emmy-winning Reynolds said: “Chris Woodward has these guys playing hard, and we’re talking about them being relevant. How about the adjustments Joey Gallo’s made? Hunter Pence becomes an All-Star. Elvis Andrus is starting to get going again. Rougned Odor is making some adjustments. Ronald Guzman is starting to produce. I think the Rangers have turned the corner.”
When the Rangers last Thursday began their four-game Battle of Texas, they were the more energized and steadier of the two teams. The Rangers opened with the American League’s hottest pitcher, the previously unremarkable Lance Lynn.
A year ago, he was a middle-of-the rotation starter. The New York Yankees let him go, preferring J.A. Happ as a middle-of-the-rotation starter. Lynn began this season 2-2, 6.51 ERA. He was looking like the typical 32-year-old free-agent bust, with his newly signed, 3-year, $30 million guaranteed.
But he’s been all but untouchable since early May. He mowed the Astros down like they were dead crabgrass, struck out 11 in 7 scoreless innings.
The Rangers won in a rout, 5-0, knocking out Houston starter Framber Valdez in the first inning. This was not the Lance Lynn we’re accustomed to seeing. He never has much to say, least of all about how he’s getting the league out. He’s 12-5, winningest pitcher in baseball. One reason for his success is staying in games: 15 consecutive starts lasting at least 6 innings. He’s thrown 100+ pitches in 11 consecutive starts.
“He seems to be throwing harder this year,” Houston’s right field climber Josh Reddick said.
In the second game of the series in Arlington the Rangers rallied from 4 down to win 9-8. Their lineup is predominantly left-handed, which puts an extra burden on a Houston team that continues to lack a left-handed reliever. The lefty Guzman made Harold Reynolds look prescient by banging a 2-run homer off the right-field foul pole. The 24-year-old first baseman would finish with 13 RBIs for the series.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch observed: “They’ve changed their offensive approach. They’re more patient now. They’re a little tougher to strike out than they were last year. They’re stronger from the top of the lineup to the bottom.”
This was no concession speech. The Astros rallied to win the next two games. As compelling though the Globe Life four-gamer was, it was as inconclusive as a 2-2 outcome can be. “I’m not OK with it,” Elvis Andrus said. “We had an opportunity to win. If we win that third game, we would have won the series.”
As it happened, the Astros stayed 8 games ahead. The Rangers could be giving up the chase as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. They’re considering trading their No. 2 starter, Mike Minor (9-4, 2.73 ERA), who’s 31, is signed through 2020 and is not oversalaried at $9 million.
For now, the main threat to Houston is Oakland. By beating the moribund Seattle Mariners on Wednesday afternoon, the Moneyballers pulled to 4 games of the lead in the AL West.
The A’s are 18-5 since June 17– best in baseball.
Billy Beane has seized on Houston’s vulnerability: a starting rotation that’s talented up front — if a bit unsteady — but becomes completely unreliable at Nos. 4 and 5. The A’s lost their ace, Frankie Montas, for the year, when he tested positive for PED. Fortunately for them, No. 5 starter Daniel Mengden stepped up, winning all four of his starts since Montas left. Manager Bob Melvin also can expect quality starts from Mike Fiers (9-3, 3.61), Brett Anderson (9-5, 3.79) and Chris Barsitt (6-4, 3.98).
And last week Beane made the sort of bargain-basement steal for which he’s famous. He acquired 33-year-old starting pitcher Homer Bailey from Kansas City. Bailey is a minimum-wage player who won three of his final four decisions with the Royals. “The velo is up,” Melvin said. “He’s got a good splitter. He can pitch up and down.”
He made his Oakland debut Wednesday stylishly, with 6 innings of 2-run ball. Could he be another Lance Lynn?
Meanwhile, the Astros are struggling to fill their rotation. They’re happy with Justin Verlander (11-4), Gerrit Cole (9-4) and Wade Miley (7-5). Brad Peacock was fine as a No. 4 until shoulder soreness sidelined him. He was scheduled to start against the Angels on Monday but suffered a setback. The Astros moved Valdez up a day, and he was shelled again (7 runs in 4 innings) and was optioned to Round Rock.
They tried Hector Rondon as a one-inning opener on Tuesday. He opened the floodgates: 6 runs in two-thirds of an inning.
The front office is concerned about the pitching. Verlander and Cole have combined for 46 home runs allowed. They’re paying a price for high-ball pitching, which worked well in recent years against opponents adept at angle-launching the low ball.
“The batters seem to be adjusting,” lamented an Astros insider. “We wanted Verlander and Cole to use all planes of the zone, but their high fastballs are getting crushed.”
General manager Jeff Luhnow did not try very hard to re-sign veteran starters Charlie Morton and Dallas Keuchel. He thought Peacock and Valdez were ready to break out. He also thought 21-year-old Forrest Whitley with his 105 mph fastball would be ready by September. None of that is happening. Whitley struggled in Class AAA Round Rock, strained his shoulder and was demoted to Class A.
Barring a blockbuster trade for a front-line starter (Madison Bumgarner, Noah Syndergaard?), this team will need to score runs by the bundle to win in the postseason.
