Blown save dooms Rangers vs. Padres
ARLINGTON, Texas – Texas manager Jeff Banister said the Texas Rangers don't get discouraged by losses.
Saturday night's 6-5 loss to San Diego is a true test of that.
The Padres scored three times off Texas closer Shawn Tolleson, who was a perfect 13-for-13 in save chances this year, to steal the win. The Rangers haven't won consecutive games at home since June 15-16 and are 1-6 on the homestand.
The Rangers were 35-2 when leading after eight innings and had momentum on their side after Elvis Andrus gave Tolleson some insurance with an RBI double to put the Rangers up 5-3.
But a bunt single, a blooper to right and RBI single cut the lead to 5-4. And then Yangervis Solarte turned the night for good with a two-out, two-run homer to right that assured Texas a losing record heading into the All-Star break.
It all happened on a night the Rangers got seven solid innings from Colby Lewis and a two-homer game from Mitch Moreland. Both those efforts went for naught.
"I don't think there's anybody in the clubhouse that's been discouraged at any one single point this year from the beginning until now," Banister said. "This is a group of guys that doesn't get discouraged. It's a loss. We feel the sting of the loss. You feel the sting of loss so you continue to have the drive and desire to win."
Tolleson felt that sting too but didn't think he pitched poorly. He felt like he made the pitches he needed to but got beat.
"My command might not have been quite as good tonight," he said. "(Will) Venable got on with a bunt hit and then I threw a really, really good changeup to (Brett) Wallace that he flicked over second base. Even the pitch to Solarte it's right where I was trying to throw it. It obviously wasn't the right pitch select ion but I executed my pitch. I threw it right where I was trying to throw it."
Tolleson's blown save cost Lewis a win. After allowing 10 runs in his last start, he went seven innings Saturday and gave up three runs.
He got offensive support mainly from Moreland. Moreland homered off James Shields in the first to give Texas a 1-0 lead and then broke a 3-3 tie with his second homer off Shields in the sixth inning. Moreland has three two-run homer games in the last two weeks and now has 16 homers on the season.
Lewis wasn't pointing fingers at Tolleson for the loss.
"Tolly's been great all year long," he said. "We all go through little things. You're not going to be perfect every time you go out. I wasn't the last time I started so it's just one of those things. I don't have any less confidence in him."
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