Kumar Rocker dug a hole the Texas Rangers could not get out of against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
The Texas Rangers suffered a 10-5 series-concluding loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
The Rangers still won the series, but at 59-59, they have fallen back to .500 on the year.
Another rough start for Rocker
In Kumar Rocker’s final two starts of July, it looked as if he was starting to string together some good outings.
On July 21 against the Chicago White Sox, Rocker struck out six batters while only allowing one hit and two walks over six shutout innings of work. Against the Seattle Mariners on July 27, he struck out seven batters while allowing four hits, two earned runs and two walks over 6.2 innings pitched.
However, August has demonstrated the kind of struggles Rangers fans have seen from Rocker throughout the year. On Aug. 2 against the Houston Astros, he allowed 10 hits, three earned runs and two walks while logging five strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
On Sunday, things were worse. Against the Orioles, Rocker gave up six earned runs (two home runs), seven hits and two walks while striking out five hitters across just three innings of work.
Rocker started his outing strong by striking out the Orioles' leadoff hitter, Gunnar Henderson, in the top of the first inning, but then he allowed four hits and two runs that snuffed out any momentum he could have built.
In the top of the second, Rocker gave up a leadoff home run to Colton Cowser before Pete Alonso took him deep for a two-run shot to make it a 5-0 game. After giving up a triple in the third inning and walking leadoff man Carlos Narvaez to start the fourth, Rocker’s afternoon was over.
The 26-year-old is now 4-9 with a 4.46 ERA through 20 starts after Sunday’s disappointing performance. It is a good thing the Rangers got Cody Bradford and Jordan Montgomery back, because they cannot rely on Rocker.
Just not enough
Texas got back in the game in the third when Brandon Nimmo crushed a three-run home run to center field to make it a 5-3 game, but that was the most momentum it achieved.
The Rangers only went 8-for-35 at the plate, and they went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Had it not been for Nimmo's home run, the game would have been much more lopsided.
Now, the Rangers will travel west for a two-series, seven-game road trip where they will face the Los Angeles Angels and the Athletics.
