ARLINGTON, Texas — It's just two games into the season, but the Texas Rangers offense hasn't given the pitching staff much room to work with.
In Friday's season opener, three runs were just enough. Saturday night, three runs didn't hold up.
Chicago's Alex Rios hit a leadoff homer off new Texas closer Joe Nathan to open the ninth to give the White Sox a 4-3 victory. The loss came on a night in which the Rangers left eight runners on base, including squandering a leadoff double in the fourth inning of a tie game and leaving the bases loaded in the eighth.
Those missed opportunities were little consolation to Nathan, though, who thought Rios would be expecting a slider in the dirt when he connected on a fastball that went just over a leaping Josh Hamilton in center.
"I tip my hat," said Nathan, who worked a perfect ninth for his first Texas save Friday. "I got beat tonight. Unfortunately, that one cost us tonight. I tried to elevate a little higher than it was. At the same time, I've got to give him credit. I didn't think he'd be looking for that pitch there."
Nathan, who pitched in back-to-back games just three times last season with Minnesota, didn't see an issue with pitching in back-to-backers to open the season. He said that wasn't an issue Saturday, and he's hoping he'll be called upon in a similar situation if needed Sunday.
Texas doubled up Chicago in hits 10-5, but struggled to get the big hits. It was a shocking development, especially considering Derek Holland was starting for the Rangers. Last season, Holland led the majors in run support as Texas averaged 7.64 runs per nine innings with him on the mound.
It looked like that would be the case again Friday. Holland allowed a run in the first, but Texas got that back in the second on an RBI single by Mike Napoli. After Holland allowed two more runs in the third, Texas countered with two in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single from Elvis Andrus and an Adrian Beltre sacrifice fly.
But that would be it for the run support. David Murphy's leadoff double in the fourth went for naught and the Rangers didn't threaten again until the eighth inning.
The club got a pair of two-out singles, then David Murphy was hit by a Matt Thornton pitch to load the bases. Mike Napoli got ahead of the count 3-0 before Thornton came back and got him to hit a grounder to third to end the threat.
"We get them out there, we'll start getting them in," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "Credit the White Sox pitching staff. They got them out when they had to."
Credit can also go Holland's way. He wobbled in the third, but recovered something he struggled to do early in his career.
A one-out error on a comebacker was erased when Holland picked Alejandro De Aza off first. But he then walked Brent Lillibridge and Adam Dunn before Paul Konerko hit a two-run double to right to tie the game at 3-3.
But instead of cratering, Holland bounced back from the 29-pitch third and needed just 22 pitches to get through the next two innings and give the club a chance.
That's all he was trying to do.
"I felt like me and Napoli were definitely on the same page," said Holland, who struck out five and walked three in his six innings. "One pitch (to Konerko) is what killed me I think. I felt like I was very consistent with all my pitches and I went out there. Last year, the snowball effect. I think last year I progressed from that and made myself more consistent, and I want to continue to do that from last year and do it this year as well."
Holland also lamented the walks on a night in which all three of the runs he allowed came with two outs.
"That was really bad on my part and I'm really upset about that," he said. "That's the big thing — going out there and giving up free passes. You never want to go out there and give up free bases."
