Rangers ineptitude against Colorado continues
ARLINGTON, Texas - Colby Lewis had one solution for the Texas Rangers to get out of the funk that's been associated with their matchups against the Colorado Rockies.
"I think Colorado just needs to leave town," said Lewis.
The Rangers better hope it's that easy.
Wednesday night the Rockies pummeled the Rangers again, this time to the tune of a 9-2 beating. Since Monday the Rockies have walloped the Rangers three times by a combined score of 29-5, with the first two games coming at hitting friendly Coors Field.
The change of scenery did nothing to help the Rangers pitching staff, as Texas has allowed 50 hits against the Rockies in the trio of games. Unfortunately for Wednesday loser Lewis and the Rangers, it's not just the Rockies that have been pounding away against the Texas pitchers as the staff has a 9.50 ERA over the last nine games.
The Rockies have had a lot to do with those bloated numbers.
Wednesday night Lewis retired just 11 batters while allowing 12 hits and seven earned runs. He allowed two runs in the first inning as Colorado strung together three two-out hits. He dodged trouble in the second and third innings but fell apart the fourth as first four batters had hits.
Lewis, whose ERA rose to 6.12, exited after his shortest outing since Sept. 3, 2011, without giving the Texas offense a chance to find any footing.
He gave a lot of credit to Colorado, which has put together consecutive games with at least 16 hits for first time since 2008.
"They're swinging the bats really well right now," Lewis said. "I got beat. That's all there is to it. I didn't go out there and walk a bunch of guys. I felt like if I threw a pitch in the zone, it was hit. It was just one of those days."
Unfortunately for the Rangers, it's been more than a day of erratic play for the club. Texas pitchers lead the American League in games of allowing at least eight runs at eight. Five of those have come in the last eight games, with the Rockies doing it the last three games.
That's not the kind of pitching a team that's scuffling on offense needs.
"We're struggling a little bit but we have run into a very hot team," said Texas manager Ron Washington said. "We have run into a very hot team. Everything that Colby threw up there today that was in the strike zone they hit and hit hard."
Washington could have inserted Monday starter Martin Perez or Tuesday starter Robbie Ross Jr.'s name in place of Lewis and the quote would have held true as Texas has just two wins from its rotation in the last 12 games.
And while the Rangers have gotten little help from the pitching, the offense has done very little against the Colorado trio of Jordan Lyles, Juan Nicasio and Wednesday starter Jorge De Le Rosa.
Texas didn't get a hit off De La Rosa until the fourth inning. The Rangers did score twice in that inning on a Adrian Beltre two-run homer but that was it for the offense as Texas managed just five hits.
"It's tough," said Michael Choice, who had two of the five Texas hits including the first one. "You just have to keep battling regardless of what the scoreboard says you've got to keep playing the game. They (the Rockies) are throwing the ball well. They're hitting. There's not much they're doing wrong right now."
As bad as things have gone for the Rangers, Elvis Andrus said they're not frustrated. He said it's too early in the season to get frustrated even though the Rangers are at .500 in May for the first time in three years.
"Everybody has at least 500 or more at-bats in the season," Andrus said. "It's really bad when you think already about frustration. We're facing a team that's really red-hot right now. Everything they're doing is good."
The bad news for the Rangers is that they've got Colorado on the schedule again Thursday.