ARLINGTON, Texas — The setting was the same, the sullen pattern stretching out before the Texas Rangers in the ninth inning on Wednesday was almost a mirror image of the sullen death gasp that the Rangers managed to get out the night before. Adrian Beltre paced on second base as he watched Jurickson Profar pop up a fly ball with one out. If Profar knocked it out of the park, it would tie the game and give the struggling Rangers the extra boost that came with extra innings. Instead, he helplessly watched the ball straight up and fall into the glove of a smirking Los Angeles Dodger.
Joey Gallo came up to bat, distracting EVERYONE long enough for Beltre to instantly steal third base before the power hitter even got into his stance (you read that right – Beltre STOLE a base).
Maeda’s attention seemed ruffled by his shortcomings and threw three balls in a row to Gallo, his face cringing in frustration after every ball.
A slight sniff of air – ball four.
What happened next was the mirror image that the Rangers had wanted to avoid so desperately.
Just as fast as Maeda gave hope to Rangers’ fans in the stands, they nabbed it away when Ronald Guzman immediately got himself out, ending the ballgame 1-3 (those three being all solo home runs. Sigh).
While they felt that were outmatched by the Dodgers from the get-go, the Rangers would have preferred walking away with at least one win in this mini-series, but instead, the Dodgers broke out the broom.
Sure, the wins would have been the moral victory surrounding a Rangers win as they get ready to head into their last month of the 2018 season instead of a necessary one, but the Rangers need as many moral wins as they can these days.
Thursday is a very much needed day off for the struggling Rangers.
