The Rangers’ slide kept rolling Friday night, and the box score was ugly in just about every direction.
Texas managed only one run in a 5-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants, despite finishing with more hits, 7-6. That imbalance only made the night feel stranger: the Rangers collected seven hits but also committed five errors, while the Giants turned their six hits into five runs.
Ezequiel Duran was responsible for most of Texas’ offense, racking up four of the club’s seven hits. He also avoided the shutout with a solo home run in the ninth.
The bigger story, though, was the mess around him. The Rangers have now dropped six straight, which is their season-worst skid, and they sit three games below .500, their worst mark in more than a month.
There was also a notable debut on the mound. Nolan Kingham made his MLB debut, though it came in a game Texas would rather forget, with the Rangers tying a season-low by committing five errors. That matched the Giants’ run total, a rough snapshot of how the night unfolded.
San Francisco got two home runs from Jung Hoo Lee, who matched the first six Rangers batters in hits by himself, 2-2. Those two homers were only one fewer than Lee had hit for the Giants since the beginning of June.
Texas will try to stop the bleeding tomorrow, with LHP MacKenzie Gore starting for the Rangers against RHP Blade Tidwell for San Francisco.
In Other News...
Rangers Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Trade Deadline Plans
After months of injuries and illness interrupted his season, Josh Smith is moving off the Rangers roster, and the club is making a very specific kind of move as the trade deadline approaches. Texas is sending Smith and pitching prospect Josh Stephan to Toronto in exchange for left-hander Adam Macko, a deal that adds a bullpen arm while subtracting a player who had been part of the 2023 World Series club and won last years American League Silver Slugger as a utility man.
Smith had already been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, so the writing was on the wall for a player whose value had been built on versatility and steady production. Macko has worked in relief for the Blue Jays this season, going 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA in 22 games, and the trade gives Texas another left-handed option as it continues shaping the roster for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Trade Deadline Shift Could Mean More Than A Salary Dump
The trade deadline picture in Texas has changed quickly enough to make the rest of the month feel unsettled. The Rangers have moved from a buyers posture to one that looks more like a sellers, with the front office weighing moves that could trim salary while also taking advantage of whatever value the roster still holds. Even with the season still unfolding, the conversations around the club now sound less like a team pushing in and more like one preparing to reframe its next step.
Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore and Jacob Latz are among the names surfacing in those discussions, a sign that the Rangers are at least listening broadly as they gauge the market. The expectation, though, is that the younger core under team control, including Wyatt Langford, Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, remains far more likely to stay put, which leaves plenty of room for the kind of deadline maneuvering that could reshape the roster without fully stripping it down. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Bullpen Shakeup Puts One Veteran In A Brutal Spot
The Rangers bullpen has been in constant motion lately, and the latest move leaves veteran right-hander Chris Martin in a tough spot. Texas activated him from the injured list and then designated him for assignment, a sign of how quickly his season has gone off track amid shoulder issues and uneven performance.
Now the club has only a short window to find a trade partner, with the afternoon deadline looming before Martin likely clears waivers and can choose free agency. The timing underscores how unsettled the bullpen picture remains in Texas, especially with the front office still weighing outside interest in other relievers after the recent losses. [Read more 🡒]