Scattershooting from Texas Rangers’ latest road loss, Josh Jung’s big game for Frisco
As road trips go, one win in five games is not remotely good. However, that is actually progress for the Texas Rangers.
They failed to win on their previous two road trips, going 0-15, and lost the opener of the trip they completed Wednesday night. But the Rangers won Saturday, 12-1, at Dodger Stadium ... only to lose the next three.
The Houston Astros got them again Wednesday, 8-4. The Astros hit six home runs, four off starter Jordan Lyles, in what stands as a relatively ordinary way to lose.
“Every ball I threw over the plate either went for extra bases or went over the wall,” Lyles said. “Tonight a good offense made me pay.”
▪ The Rangers found a new way to lose Tuesday, 6-3 in 10 innings, when Josh Sborz and Demarcus Evans blew saves in the ninth and 10th innings. Evans surrendered a walk-off grand slam to Jose Altuve, who started the game Wednesday with a home run.
He became the first player in MLB history to follow a walk-off grand slam with a leadoff shot in the next game. And, for good measure, he homered again in the eighth.
▪ Overshadowed in the loss were the first two homers of Eli White’s career. The rookie outfielder hit opposite-field solo shots in the third and the seventh innings, and became the second player in franchise history to hit his first two career homers in the same game (Carlos Pena, 2001).
“That was super cool,” White said. “It was dream come true to hit my first home run in the big leagues.”
Minor-league outfielders Leody Taveras, who has heated up at Triple A Round Rock, and Bubba Thompson, who has been solid all season at Double A Frisco, seem to have more upside.
White, though, could very well have a place on future teams, especially with his ability to play in the infield. That’s a pretty handy player to have if he can figure out how to be consistent at the plate.
▪ Want to know who else would be handy to have around? Josh Jung.
The top prospect seems determined to make his stay in the minor leagues this season a short one. He had a mammoth game Wednesday, his second of the season after foot surgery in March, going 3 for 5 with a three-run homer and four RBIs.
Jung’s MLB debut is expected this season even though he missed the first 35 games of the season at Double A Frisco. He will have to play at Round Rock at some point before getting promoted.
Per MLB rules this season, players can only be called up from Triple A.
That’s getting too far ahead in the season. But it’s getting hard not to take a peek with what’s transpiring with the big-league club.
