Rangers Drop One-Sided Finale to Royals

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

April 12, 2023

Royals 10, Rangers 1

ARLINGTON, Tex. (Apr 12) — Despite a promising start, the Texas Rangers fell to the Kansas City Royals by a final score of 10–1 in their series finale on Wednesday evening at Globe Life Field. A solo home run by Nathaniel Lowe was the only bright spot of the game, as the Rangers looked to hit the road with a three-game sweep under their belts. It was not to be, however. Looking ahead, the Rangers will embark on a six-game road trip beginning on Friday with a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. In the opener, right-hander Luis Garcia (0–1, 7.00 ERA) will be the starting pitcher for the Astros, and lefty Martin Perez (1–1, 2.53 ERA) will get the ball for the Rangers.

One-Sided Affair

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The Rangers got off to a promising start in the top of the first inning. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe put his team on the board 1–0 with his second homer of the season. This added to the already noticeable buzz from Jonah Heim‘s walk-off blast from the night before. The Rangers’ momentum, however, wouldn’t last. This would account for the Rangers’ only run of the game, and it was given up by Royals righty Brad Keller. Keller got the win in this one, making him 2–1, with an ERA of 2.12. The Royals tied it 1–1 in the top of the second. Franmil Reyes scored on a single to center by Nicky Lopez. Right-fielder MJ Melendez followed that up with a double to center that plated Lopez and Edward Olivarez to make it 3–1 Royals.

An inning later, Vinnie Pasquantino made it 4–1 with his second home run of the season. Rangers fans were getting more and more restless by the inning at this point. The Royals continued to pour it on against the Rangers in the top of the fourth. For the second time in the evening, Melendez drove in Lopez with a single to right to make it 5–1. One batter later, Bobby Witt Jr. brought in Melendez with a two-out triple to right. The score stayed 6–1 until the top of the seventh. Witt Jr. scored on a single to left by Reyes. The Royals didn’t stop there, however. They soon made it 9–1 on a single to center by Michael Massey. This scored Pasquantino and Kyle Isbel. They scored their final run in the seventh on a single to center by Olivares that plated Franmil Reyes.

Pitching Notes

Nathan Eovaldi got the starting nod for the Rangers on Wednesday. He took his second loss in as many starts, falling to 1–2 with a 6.32 ERA (11 ER/15 2/3 IP) through three outings this season. Eovaldi permitted season highs in hits (10), runs (6), and earned runs (6), allowing multiple scores in the second (3) and fourth (2) frames. Vinnie Pasquantino’s solo homer in the third was the first long ball that Eovaldi has surrendered this season. Eovaldi struck out a season-high seven batters without issuing a walk, as he has posted 19 strikeouts/3 walks on the year. He recorded a season-high 18 swing-and-miss strikes on Wednesday (Statcast).

Postgame Comments:

When asked about Eovaldi’s start in his postgame media session, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said, “He was sharp in the first inning, and then in the second inning, he gave up a couple of infield hits, and they sort of got to him there. It was just bad luck for him the entire night. They got some big hits and some momentum, and they never really stopped after that.”