ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said the Tampa Bay Rays lineup construction is what led him to use two openers ahead of Kumar Rocker on Friday night at Globe Life Field.
Right-hander Trevor Williams worked a scoreless first inning and struck out Jonathan Aranda. Left-hander Robby Ahlstrom followed and stranded the bases loaded in the second, allowing 1 hit.
“The way they had their lineup constructed, it was right, left, right, some pretty good hitters at the top, and then all left-handers after that,” Schumaker said. “We thought if we could match up Ahlstrom with all left-handers and give him the best opportunity to put up a zero and give us a good chance to hopefully score first, which we did with Zeke’s big home run. We felt like we were in a good spot. So we had two scoreless and then went to Rocker and trying to get through at least the fifth inning and then go to the bullpen after that.”
“So I haven’t done that before just because they had six lefties, I think, after the third hitter,” Schumaker continued. “So it just made the most sense, and Robbie did a good job getting out of the jam.”
Why The Texas Rangers Have Opened Ahead Of Kumar Rocker
Ezequiel Duran led off the second inning with a home run for a 1-0 Texas lead.
The Rangers had used an opener twice this season, both times ahead of Rocker and both times on the road. Both attempts worked.
Rocker carries an 8.63 ERA in the first inning this season, the second-highest mark in the majors among pitchers with at least 20 first innings, behind only teammate Jacob deGrom at 9.00. His ERA in all other innings entering Friday was 3.49.
Rocker entered in the third and fell to 5-11. He allowed 6 runs, 5 of them earned, on 9 hits over 5 innings with 3 strikeouts and no walks. Aranda homered in the third and Richie Palacios homered with two outs in the fourth.
Yandy Díaz, Aranda, and Junior Caminero opened the fifth with three consecutive opposite-field doubles. Victor Mesa Jr. blooped a single to shallow center, Caminero scored while Mesa took second on an error by Evan Carter, and Mesa later scored during a rundown for a 6-1 lead.
Trevor Williams’ First Texas Rangers Start
Texas signed Williams to a major league contract on Sept. 1 after Washington released him. Friday was his first career start for an American League club, and all 11 of his major league seasons before this one came with Pittsburgh, the Chicago Cubs, the New York Mets, and Washington.
Rocker won the fifth rotation spot in spring training over Jacob Latz. He entered Friday at 5-10 with a 4.44 ERA over 26 appearances and 24 starts, and he has now thrown 134 2/3 innings, more than in any year of his professional career.
Elias Díaz hit the first Texas grand slam of the season in the seventh inning off Garrett Cleavinger to cut the lead to 6-5. Elias Díaz drove in 5 runs and added a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
Nick Martinez improved to 14-4 for Tampa Bay, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits over 6 1/3 innings with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks. Tyler Wells recorded his sixth save after Bryan Baker walked the first two batters of the ninth and left the game with a trainer.
Texas fell to 70-72 and matched its largest deficit in the American League West this season at 3 games after Houston beat Arizona 3-1. Tampa Bay improved to 84-57. Drew Rasmussen (14-5, 2.95 ERA) is scheduled to start for Tampa Bay on Saturday against Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (10-9, 4.00) at Globe Life Field.
