ARLINGTON, Texas — The past couple of weeks has seen a season-long trend flipped on its head. The Texas Rangers have struggled badly on the road all season and played pretty well at home. After the team went 6-3 on their last road trip, the club looked to be in fine form as they came home for a seven-game homestand.
On Sunday, the Rangers lost to the Chicago White Sox by a score of 7-2, capping off a 2-5 record at home this week. With the exception of their 8-1 victory over the Houston Astros last Tuesday, the Rangers offense struggled mightily during this seven-game stretch at home. The club went 4-for-46 with runners in scoring position, and had to settle for RBI groundouts or sacrifice flies instead of doing significant damage against opposing pitchers.
While the offense struggled this week, pitching wasn't much better. The Rangers were outscored this week, 51-16.
Rangers starter Jordan Lyles was brilliant in his last outing in that Tuesday victory over Houston, and for the first three innings, it looked like he was going to continue that fine form. However, the White Sox got to him in a bad way in the fourth inning.
Yasmani Grandal led off the frame with a solo homer, then Lyles was hit hard by the White Sox lineup. He ended up giving up two separate two-run singles and also walked two more batters in the inning. Lyles' day was done after 3 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
After Dennis Santana stopped the bleeding in the fourth inning, Mike Foltynewicz came in to pitch for the first time since being activated from the COVID-19 Injured List. It was also his first relief appearance since April 11, 2017.
Foltynewicz fared a bit better than Lyles, but a two-run double by Leury Garcia in the seventh inning put this game far out of reach for the Rangers. Foltynewicz pitched three innings, giving up two runs on two hits with two walks and no strikeouts.
Kohei Arihara DFA'd
Prior to Sunday's game, the Rangers designated Kohei Arihara for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Mike Foltynewicz, who was activated from the COVID-19 Injured List.
While the move came as a bit of a surprise, Rangers general manager Chris Young told the media after Sunday's loss that if Arihara clears waivers, they intend on keeping him to compete for a starting job in spring training next season.
Arihara signed a two-year contract with the Rangers last winter, and he was the ability to refuse an outright assignment. However, if he does, the second year on his contract will be voided.
What's Next
The Rangers (55-94) head to the East Coast for their final road trip of the 2021 season. They start off with four games in the Bronx against Joey Gallo and the New York Yankees (83-67). A.J. Alexy (2-0, 3.68 ERA) will get the start for the Rangers on Monday. He is scheduled to go up against New York's Nestor Cortes (2-2, 2.60 ERA).
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