The Texas Rangers are winless this season when starters surrender multiple first-inning runs, a psychological hurdle that is currently paralyzing the offense and sinking the defending champions' postseason hopes.
The Texas Rangers are coming off another brutal loss, one that saw their first-inning woes continue.
Now 35-39, something needs to change. The Rangers have dropped three in a row, including five of their last six.
Their last three losses have all been by two or more runs, two of which being by six or more. Game two of the Minnesota Twins series saw them fall 12-2, and they failed to comeback as they lost the series finale, 9-3.
The starting pitching simply hasn't been there, and the Dallas Morning News' Shawn McFarland provided a stat and quote that really puts things into perspective.
Rangers Are 0-15 When Their Starter Allows Multiple Runs in the First Inning
Jack Leiter didn't have his best stuff on Thursday afternoon, and the Twins were able to put up a four-spot in the top of the first inning. Setting the tone is what baseball is all about, and even at home, the Rangers, at that point, knew that deficit would probably be far too much to overcome.
Even with Leiter giving up a grand total of six runs in four innings, the bullpen still allowed three more. Seeing as the Rangers only scored three runs themselves, it's not like those bullpen runs really mattered, but that's not the point.
Texas has been trending in the wrong direction for awhile now, and it's starts like these that put things into perspective. Ultimately, this 0-15 record is abysmal, and it's even worse to think a Rangers starter has allowed multiple first inning runs in four of the team's last six games.
Skip Schumaker Discusses Early Struggles
"If you don't put up a zero it's tough to be on the attack on the offense side," he said. "Our starters have really good stuff, they're really good pitchers and the strength of our ballclub is based around our starting pitching."
Schumaker continued, "We have really, really quality starters. Putting up a zero in the first or second inning isn't some crazy thought, and that's why I think it's become a mental thing more than anything, and maybe even on the offensive side, too, if we give up a couple."
Baseball is as much a mental game as it is physical, and that goes for both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Rangers seem to concede early when their pitching staff gives up as many runs as they did in a game like this. It goes both ways though as Schumaker needs to do whatever he can to get his pitchers in the right mental state to end this cold stretch.
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