'It's go time:' With Bruce Bochy as manager, all's quiet in midst of Rangers losing streak

PHOENIX − It’s getting late in the evening, the team buses have departed, and Bruce Bochy is sitting behind the desk in the visiting manager’s office at Chase Field, in full uniform, unable to shake the pain searing through his body.

The Texas Rangers were one out away from snapping out of their season-long losing streak, but instead, endured a heartbreaking defeat in extra innings, leaving Bochy disgusted with himself.

Oh, he didn’t throw a single pitch in the game. He didn’t step to the plate. But he made a couple of gutsy decisions, including intentionally putting the winning runner on base in extra innings, and it backfired.

Bochy could have blamed Aroldis Chapman for his blown save in the ninth inning. He could have ripped closer reliever Will Smith for throwing an 11th-inning fastball across the plate that resulted in a walk-off loss. He could have scolded his offense for being shut down for 10 innings.

Instead, he walked into the clubhouse, told his players to listen up, and had a quick meeting:

“This is on me, guys,’’ Bochy said. “One hundred percent, my fault. Keep your heads up. No one said it was going to be easy.’’

The Rangers players sat in silence.

Here was a three-time World Series champion manager, a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, and he’s blaming himself for a losing streak that has now reached a season-high six games entering Thursday night against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

“I was the one that coughed it up,’’ says Smith, a two-time World Series champion, “and I was blaming myself, sitting over here being all mad. And he comes in and takes ownership of it all.’’

Says All-Star second baseman Marcus Semien: “The experience he has, and his track record, for him to say that, is just incredible. And professional. He felt it was on his heart to let us know it was on him.’’

Bochy, 68, who won three World Series titles managing the San Francisco Giants, knew there would be games like this when he returned from his three-year hiatus. There would be nights where he could sip on his favorite bourbon after games, and still couldn’t fall asleep, his mind refusing to stop. There would be mornings where he’d wake up, and still anguish over the previous night’s game.

“I missed that competition, I missed that rush of winning,’’ Bochy says, talking to USA TODAY Sports in his office, “but there was also the pain that comes with losses like that. You know what? I missed that too. You got to let it go, and some losses sting a lot worse than others, but that comes with the territory.

“When I came back, I told myself I would appreciate it more, savor the victories and don’t dwell on the losses too much. I remember when I was in San Francisco, and after some gut-wrenching losses, you hope you get hit by the Muni [train] on your walk back.

“But now that I’m back in, the losses still hurt just the same. The difference is that I appreciate this more. When you’ve been doing it as long as I have, and you’re away from it, when you come back you realize what a great job this is.’’

Bochy could have been enjoying the good life, living in Nashville, Tennessee, and practicing his Hall of Fame induction speech. He would have been on the Contemporary Baseball era Hall of Fame ballot in November with former managers, executives and umpires.

Instead, he’s the man in charge of turning around the Rangers’ fortunes before it’s too late.

The Rangers (72-54) have been in first place in the AL West every day since April 8, and had a 3 ½ game-lead just a week ago, but all of a sudden, a six-game losing streak has left them with just a one-game lead over the Houston Astros, with and the Seattle Mariners (1.5 games back) looming large in their rear-view mirror.

“It’s time to pick it up,’’ said Bochy, who has never set foot inside Target Field, the only current ballpark where he has never managed during his 26-year career. “It's go time. We worked hard to get to this position.

“We can’t let this get away from us.’’

While the Rangers share his frustration, upset with their sudden struggles, there’s more of a panic about finding the nearest Juicy Lucy burger near their downtown Minneapolis hotel than their losing streak.

They look at Bochy, see the calmness, acting the same now as he did during their eight-game winning streak earlier in the month. Panic? Please. It’s baseball.

“I want them to be the same every day,’’ Bochy says, “and I want them to see me the same every day, too. The last thing anyone wants to see is a manager who panics of snaps during a streak. Every club goes through their little moments, tough losses and losing streaks. What's important is how you deal with it.

“These guys are they're playing under a lot of pressure. I want them to enjoy this, have fun, and in the end, hopefully we’ll have those crazy dog-pile celebrations.’’

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The Giants, after all, never cruised to any of their three World Series titles under Bochy. They got in on the last day one year, were a wild card in another, and one postseason had to win six elimination games.

The Rangers are all but cruising. They lost four of their six All-Stars to injuries. Rookie sensation Josh Jung, their emotional leader, sustained a fractured thumb that is expected to sideline him until the final week of the regular season. All-Star catcher Jonah Heim returned after missing 14 days with a strained wrist last week, but has badly struggled. And veteran starter Nathan Eovaldi has been out for the last month with a strained forearm.

They never complained. Never looked for sympathy. GM Chris Young simply went out, grabbed three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer from the New York Mets at the deadline, acquired veteran starter Jordan Montgomery and reliever Chris Stratton from St. Louis, and veteran catcher Austin Hedges from Pittsburgh, too.

“The moment I walked into the clubhouse,’’ Hedges said, “you could just feel that confidence and that desire to win. There’s so much trust in the players and coaches. It’s contagious. It makes everyone play better.’’

So, you really think the Rangers are going to let a little slide ruin their season?

The way these guys look at it, a little adversity is good for the soul, letting them know that when they really find themselves in trouble, they’ll be able to lean on one another, learning from the experience.

“I’ve seen a lot of great teams have losing streaks,’’ Scherzer said. “The sign of a great team is how you deal with losing streaks. I like what I see.

“But that being said, I don’t care what it looks like, somebody’s got to end this thing.’’

Scherzer looks around the clubhouse and laughs. This is why the Rangers brought him over from the Mets. He thrives under pressure. He is 3-1 with a 2.66 ERA since his arrival, striking out 30 batters in 23.2 innings. He’s exactly what the Rangers need for the postseason, a veteran who has pitched in 18 postseason series, including 27 games.

The Rangers learned he might be available two weeks before the trade deadline. The Mets agreed to pay $35.5 million of his salary, Scherzer agreed to waive his opt-out in 2024, and in return will receive privileges in spring training to visit his family.

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“It happened so fast, and came together so late,’’ Scherzer told USA TODAY Sports. “I didn’t think I was going to get traded. I really didn’t. I figured we’d just keep everybody and reload. Then, I talked to the front office, and they told me that wasn’t the case. And boom, I got traded."

Just like that, he has become baseball’s hired gun, now pitching for his sixth team, and trying to lead a fifth different team to the postseason.

Scherzer, who lives in Jupiter, Florida, in the offseason, has already purchased a home in Dallas. He wants to stay past 2024. And he’d love to be part of history, winning the first World Series title in Rangers history.

Bochy has his three World Series rings, but winning one for Young, who pitched for him in San Diego and pulled him out of retirement, would be the ultimate.

Young, 44, who pitched 13 years in the big leagues but never made the postseason, would love to reward All-Star infielders Corey Seager and Semien, who believed in his vision of returning the Rangers to greatness, becoming the first marquee free agents to sign with the franchise two years ago.

“Corey and Marcus were the first to jump on board and decide they wanted to be here and believe in what we were doing,’’ Young said. “I can’t really express my gratitude enough that they wanted to do that. They identified this place, and weren’t afraid of the challenge of it.’’

The feeling is mutual, Semien and Seager say, believing in Young’s vision, and seeing it come to fruition.

“This is everything I hoped it would be, a great place to play,’’ Semien said, “and it’s special playing for Boch. I remember he called me into his office, and his plans for playing me in the spring, wanting to keep me fresh for October. It’s the first time I ever talked to a manager that his perspective of October and playing in the World Series was on his mind in spring training.

“Now, we’d love to prove him right.’’

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bruce Bochy has players confidence during Rangers losing streak