BREAKING NEWS: FORMAL RANGERS STARTER LEAVES TERM FOR FREE AGENCY AFTER SURPRISE ROSTER DECISION
‘Good team with a bad record’: Hinch, Tigers focused on staying the course
aldez blamed his execution, saying he failed to get into favorable counts and many of his pitches were flat.
“They could read my pitches very well, so I need to work better in attacking,” Valdez said through an interpreter. “Go back to my mode of attacking early in the count. It’s something I’ve got to work on.”
The five runs given up were the most Valdez has allowed in eight career starts at Globe Life Field. He entered with a 5-1 record and 2.31 ERA when facing the Rangers at their home.
But the script flipped this time around. The Rangers pounced on Valdez for three runs in the second inning, including a home run by Elias Díaz and consecutive seven-pitch walks drawn by Justin Foscue and Josh Jung to load the bases and score a run, respectively.
Jung and Ezequiel Duran extended the Rangers’ lead to 5-0 with RBI hits in the fourth. The only silver lining for Valdez was an eight-pitch, perfect fifth inning to end his day.
However, it was too little, too late for a Tigers team that has yet to come back from more than a three-run deficit this season. Still, the Tigers had their chances on Thursday.
After being no-hit by Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi the first four innings, designated hitter Colt Keith led off the fifth with a solo shot to right-center field. Later in the inning, Hao-Yu Lee sent a first-pitch splitter just out of the reach of Rangers left fielder Alejandro Osuna and over the fence for a two-run blast.
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