This isn't going to be an indictment on new Rangers pitching coach Doug Brocail. It's far too early for that and, frankly, big-league pitchers should know the general goal of a pitcher.
But the Rangers are walking far too many batters through their first four games of the season. The only one of those games they won came on Opening Day when the Rangers managed one hit.
On Thursday night, walks cost the Rangers the lead in the series opener in Anaheim, and the Angels eventually walked off with a win in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Derek Holland walked the No. 6 and No. 8 hitters in the fifth and then both ended up crossing the plate to give the Angels a 3-2 lead before their eventual 4-3 win.
"It's not where we want to be," Rangers manager Jeff Banister told reporters. "There are 'good' walks when you don't want to face a certain guy in a certain situation, but you still have to cover the walks. ... If we're able to get through that inning, we're still decent shape."
So far, the Rangers have walked a league-high 17 batters through four games — an unacceptable number. Walks were a pet peeve of former pitching coach Mike Maddux and they are of manager Jeff Banister, as well. Like I said, I'm sure Brocail isn't a fan of them, but he needs to figure out some way to fix it because it's becoming a pretty alarming trend.
