Rangers Stifled By Angels' Ohtani In 2-1 Loss

Texas Rangers pitchers turned in a solid performance on Wednesday, but couldn't get anything going at the plate.

Chris Halicke | Aug 4, 2021

ARLINGTON, Texas — Shohei Ohtani is a remarkable baseball player, capable of handling the grueling duty of both pitching and hitting. While he didn't do anything with the bat on Wednesday night, his presence was felt on the mound.

The Texas Rangers were stifled by Ohtani, losing by a score of 2-1 to the Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers mustered only one run on four hits in Ohtani's six innings of work, with the lone run having to be manufactured by an RBI groundout by Adolis García in the sixth inning.

It's a shame for Kolby Allard, who bounced back from very rough month of July (0-5, 9.13 ERA) with his sixth career quality start. He allowed two runs on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts over six solid innings.

"I thought Kolby was much better today," said Rangers manager Chris Woodward. "In the third inning, I told [pitching coach Doug Mathis] after two guys got on with one out that this was a good test for him. This was something we've addressed with him, being able to stop the bleeding. I thought Kolby did a good job controlling his emotions and composure, and was able to make some pitches."

The one bright spot offensively came from the bat of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who tied a career-high with three hits (two singles, one double). Through the first 70 games of the season, Kiner-Falefa slashed .291/.327/.418/.745 with six home runs and 28 RBI. Over the past 36 games, the Gold Glover has struggled mightily, slashing .177/.211/.199/.409 with no homers and seven RBI.

"The conversations with him have been ongoing," Woodward said. "My biggest thing with him is trying to surrender to the outcome, man. Trust your process. Trust the work you do every day. He gets a little bit caught up in trying to do too much at times. Just let the game come to you."

Notes

Eli White was initially in Wednesday's lineup, but was scratched prior to the game with right elbow tightness. Chris Woodward said the injury has been bothering him while swinging and throwing. The Rangers will need to further evaluate White before making any roster decisions.
Adolis García stepped in place of White in center field and made two incredible defensive plays in his stead. García had the lone RBI on the night for the Rangers.
Joe Barlow stranded a leadoff double in a scoreless eighth inning. Barlow now has 8 2/3 shutout innings over his last nine games, with opponents going 1-for-26 in that span. Jack Mayfield's double was just the third hit allowed in Barlow's career.

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Published Aug 4, 2021

CHRIS HALICKE