The Texas Rangers came out of the All-Star break looking nothing like a first-place club, and the Atlanta Braves made sure of it in a 15-1 rout at Truist Park.
Texas managed just one run and two hits against Chris Sale, who was in control from the start and never had to sweat much over seven innings. Sale worked only 89 pitches, and with the game already blown open, his night ended after seven. The Rangers’ lone run came in the top of the eighth, long after Atlanta had put the result beyond doubt.
Cal Quantrill took the ball for Texas after the break, and the night unraveled quickly. After two outs to begin the game, the Braves ripped six hits in the next nine at-bats against him.
Atlanta only turned that early surge into two runs, but the damage kept coming. Quantrill finished with six runs allowed on 11 hits over four innings.
That was only the start of the collapse. Once Quantrill was out, the Braves tacked on nine more runs against the Texas bullpen.
Ben Peoples was the only Rangers pitcher out of five to get through an appearance without allowing a run, and his one-batter outing ended the seventh. Kyle Higashioka then took the mound for the final inning and was greeted with a home run by the first hitter he faced before giving up a couple more runs.
The game was a harsh reminder of how thin the Rangers have looked at times because of injuries and roster holes, even while they’ve spent stretches sitting atop the AL West. They had been surviving with enough timely wins to keep the record afloat. Not this time.
Emiliano Teodo made his MLB debut in the loss, a bright spot in a game that offered very little else for Texas. He now carries a 10.80 big league ERA after this one.
The two-game set continues Saturday afternoon, when the Rangers send LHP MacKenzie Gore to the mound against RHP Owen Murphy for Atlanta. First pitch is set for 3:10 pm CDT from Truist Park.
In Other News...
Rangers Trade Idea Puts Two Intriguing Young Pieces On The Table
Jim Bowdens trade idea gives the Rangers a familiar sort of deadline debate: do they chase a useful bat now, or protect the young depth that could matter later? In this scenario, Texas is looking at Luis Arraez as a possible fit, which makes sense only if you view the clubs roster needs through the lens of contact and versatility rather than impact power. The bigger question is whether that is the right way to spend real prospect capital when the Rangers still have more pressing holes to fill.
Yolfran Castillo and Dalton Pence are the kind of names that make these conversations interesting because both have enough upside to matter in a deal, but neither feels disposable. Castillo has been productive in the low minors, while Pence has put together a strong season on the mound and sits among the organizations better arms. Even so, Texas has other pitching prospects in the pipeline, which could make moving Pence easier to swallow than it first appears, but the front office still has to decide whether Arraez is the sort of addition worth taking that step. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Fans Just Got Pulled Into Another Deadline Rumor
Trade-season chatter has a way of finding its way to the Rangers whether they ask for it or not, and this latest round is no different. A rumor making the rounds has Texas linked to Cincinnati right-hander Hunter Greene, with the buzz spreading through social media and a Jim Bowden column that leaned on second-hand talk rather than anything confirmed. For a club that always seems to live in the middle of deadline speculation, it is another reminder that once July turns into August, the noise can move fast.
Greenes situation is what makes the rumor linger, because he is not the kind of arm a team casually dangles without a bigger plan in mind. Cincinnatis posture matters here too, since the Reds appear more inclined to retool than to tear everything down, which makes any talk of moving a young starter more complicated than the rumor mill suggests. For the Rangers, it leaves the familiar deadline question hanging in the air: are they actually in on this, or just getting pulled into another round of speculation? [Read more 🡒]
Brady Singer Is Putting The Reds At A Deadline Crossroads
With the Rangers sitting atop the AL West despite a slightly above-.500 record, the trade deadline is starting to look like a chance to shore up the one area that still feels unfinished. Texas has been searching for rotation help, and the conversation naturally turns to a few names who could fit the bill, with Brady Singer among the more interesting possibilities because of the way his situation lines up with the market.
Singers contract status gives the Reds a reason to listen, and it also gives a contender like Texas a chance to pounce if the price is right. The Rangers are not alone in weighing starting pitching, though, and the broader pool includes other arms with varying levels of certainty, leaving Texas to decide whether to strike early or keep waiting for the right deal to surface. [Read more 🡒]