OAKLAND — The Texas Rangers left Arlington last Thursday with five starting pitchers on their active roster. They’ll return — after successful road trips to Kansas City and Oakland, with Colorado on the horizon — with three and some change still kicking.
It’s been that kind of season. The latest stretch of pain, strain and disdain went as such: right-hander Nathan Eovaldi landed on the 15-day injured list on Friday with a groin strain, and righty Dane Dunning joined him on Wednesday with a right rotator cuff strain. The bullpen won’t exactly return home in one piece, either, after Josh Sborz exited the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, a 12-11 win against the A’s, with trainer Matt Lucero by his side. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that Sborz had shoulder soreness, and will be checked out once the team arrives in Colorado.
The starting rotation, though, is in worse shape than the bullpen. Imagine that with the way Texas stocked up on starting pitchers two winters ago and with the way its relief staff struggled last season. It’s where the Rangers are, though, with just right-hander Michael Lorenzen, right-hander Jon Gray and left-hander Andrew Heaney existing as their lone healthy experienced starting pitchers just one month into the season.
The list of accolades and awards that the Rangers have parked on the injured list is an enviable stable of arms. There’s the five combined Cy Young Awards courtesy of Max Scherzer (back surgery rehab/thumb inflammation) and Jacob deGrom (elbow surgery rehab). There’s a handful of All-Star nods that belong to Nathan Eovaldi (mild groin strain), and now the club’s two-time pitcher of the year is sidelined in Dunning. Tyler Mahle (Tommy John surgery) and Cody Bradford (rib stress fracture) don’t exactly have those honors, though the Rangers can’t be greedy.
Bochy believes that the Rangers have the facilities to patch the rotation together until further notice.
“We’re going to talk about it,” Bochy said. “We’ll piece this thing together until we get these guys back.”
The Rangers’ veteran manager has stitched a pitching staff together out of seemingly thin air before (see: last year’s playoffs) but Texas’ legitimate options are slim.
Jack Leiter: He’s started more games (two, after Wednesday) this season than any other pitcher whose rotation spot isn’t certain and secured. That suggests that the 24-year-old may have the inside track to an extended stay in the rotation, but he’s also no longer on the major league roster and hasn’t exactly blown any doors off yet performance wise. Leiter was the “27th man” for Wednesday’s doubleheader, and if the Rangers do plan to use him in the rotation more than just on a spot-start basis, they’ll need to make a legitimate roster move.
He gave up six runs (four earned) on seven hits, three strikeouts and no walks on Wednesday. He was relatively efficient, but gave up a pair of home runs on pitches that he left in the zone.
“Two starts that haven’t gone my way, frustrating,” Leiter said. “But two starts where the Rangers are in the win column, and that’s a positive from the negative outcomes and frustrations.”
José Ureña: He has the most experience, and with the way he pitched on Tuesday, may be the no-brainer option for more starting opportunities. Ureña — who’s worked largely as the Rangers’ long relief man in the bullpen this season — pitched five innings of two-run ball in Tuesday’s win against the Athletics as a spot starter in place of Nathan Eovaldi. He showed some exceptionally nasty stuff, too, with a sinker that reached 97.9 mph.
Ureña gave the Rangers a performance that they desperately needed before Wednesday’s doubleheader. Maybe, in turn, they should give him an extended stay in the rotation. Bochy has gushed over Ureña as if the choice were already made, for what it’s worth.
“He showed me a lot,” Bochy said. “That was some kind of effort he gave us. We thought we had him for 60 pitches, but each time he came off the mound, ‘I’m good, I’m good.’ .... You lose a guy like Dane Dunning, it’s good to see somebody like this step up.”
Owen White: Well, maybe. This is more of a he-must-be-here-for-a-reason selection, but, he might not even be here for too long. The Rangers recalled White on Wednesday to take Dunning’s place on the roster, and in his season debut, the 24-year-old did not record an out in the ninth inning of a blowout. He gave up three consecutive singles to load the bases before Bochy replaced him with closer Kirby Yates.
White didn’t turn heads in spring training. He hasn’t exactly electrified in his first month with Triple-A Round Rock.
“I feel stronger than I ever have,” White said before Wednesday’s doubleheader. “Mentally and physically.”
Good because, at some point, they may need more innings out of him. They certainly need more innings from someone, at least.
Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
