You know things are going bad when you rally from a 7-0 deficit, get a boneheaded assist from your opponent, tie the game in the 9th inning and it adds up to nothing more than a gut-wrenching, walk-off loss.
The Rangers have lost 10 of their last 12. None more painful than Monday night in Denver.
Nick Martinez arrived from the minors and dug the Rangers an early 7-0 hole. But manager Jeff Banister’s team indeed never ever quit against the Rockies. 7-0 became 7-2 and then 7-5, 7-6 and then, finally, in the 9th they tied the game at 7-7 on Adrian Beltre’s two-out double that scored Leonys Martin.
Banister and his attitude get credit for the impressive comeback. So do relievers Anthony Bass, Spencer Patton and Sam Freeman, for holding Colorado scoreless after the 4th inning. And so does Prince Fielder, who fueled the offensive awakening with two more hits and three RBIs, one coming when Rockies’ 1st baseman Ben Paulsen trotted toward the dugout after recording only the second out of the inning, allowing Rougned Odor to score a cheap run.
But you can’t dig holes of 10-0 (like the Rangers did Sunday in Houston) and 7-0 and have many happy innings. Comebacks are great and all, but the margin for error is just too thin.
Right, Tanner Scheppers?
After allowing consecutive singles to start the 9th, he gave up a long single by the man who earned immediate redemption: Paulsen.
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“It's a tough one to swallow especially after the team came back,” Scheppers said. “I've got to be able to go out there and throw a zero.”
The Rangers won’t stage many comebacks from down 7-0 this season. It’s a sign of their slump that it happened in a loss.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
