First Inning Remains Rangers Starting Pitching’s Brutal Undoing

The Texas Rangers can’t seem to get off to a good start in the first inning, and it isn’t just a Kumar Rocker problem.

Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Nathan Eovaldi’s numbers say he’s had a terrific month for the Texas Rangers. But like nearly every other member of the rotation, the first inning is a problem.

The problem came up again on Thursday against the Houston Astros as he allowed two home runs in the first three batters he faced, Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes. Between the pair, he walked the red-hot Yordan Alvarez and was down 3-0 before he faced the fourth batter in the order. The Rangers lost, 5-1.

While there has been plenty of discussion about the struggles of Kumar Rocker in the first inning — to the point where the Rangers experimented with an opener last week in Colorado — it’s been an issue for all but one Rangers starter and it’s part of what is keeping the team from reaching .500.

The Rangers First Inning Woes

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The issue is easy to see. The Texas’ inning-by-inning ERA tells the story. The Rangers had a 6.87 ERA in the first inning going into Thursday’s game. Eovaldi’s first inning nudged that ERA to 7.23.

Every Rangers starter has been hit by the bug, save for two — and neither is a starter. Jacob Latz threw four shutout innings in place of deGrom in the season’s second game and Tyler Alexander threw a spotless first inning in front of Rocker in Colorado.

Eovaldi isn’t alone. Here are the first-inning ERAs for each Rangers starter, along with their season ERA. Only one has a lower first-inning ERA than overall ERA:

Kumar Rocker: 11.00/3.96

Nathan Eovaldi: 8.10/3.93

Jacob deGrom: 8.18/3.77

Jack Leiter: 5.73/4.75

MacKenzie Gore: 3.27/4.42

After that first inning, the Rangers have a sub-3.05 ERA in the second, third and fourth innings, before it goes back above 4.00 in the fifth inning.

The biggest issue is home runs. Texas has allowed 19 first-inning home runs this season. The next-closest team has allowed 12. Eovaldi and deGrom have each allowed four home runs in a game this season. They’re also the biggest offenders in the first inning:

Nathan Eovaldi: Eight

Jacob deGrom: Six

Jack Leiter: Three

MacKenzie Gore: One

Kumar Rocker: One

After the first inning, the Rangers have given up 17 home runs in the next three innings combined.

One might expect the younger pitchers — Gore, Leiter and Rocker — to be the ones giving up those home runs. Each is allowing traffic, but not many long balls. Combined the trio have allowed five first-inning home runs. But one wasn’t immune this week.

Rocker allowed a first-inning home run to Alvarez on Monday. Leiter and deGrom avoided the first-inning home run, but each allowed a home run later in the game. Then came Eovaldi.

If the Rangers don’t correct the issue they could set a new MLB mark, per The Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland on X (formerly Twitter). Texas is on pace to allow 53 first-inning home runs. No MLB team has allowed more than 43 home runs in the first inning in a season this century.