ARLINGTON -- Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said on Thursday that they need their “dudes to be dudes” if they want to see October.
On Friday, Jacob deGrom didn’t look like a dude. He looked like a mere mortal.
The Rangers' ace allowed a season-high-tying eight runs on a season-high eight hits in four innings, as Texas fell, 10-2, to the Twins at Target Field.
The Rangers’ October dreams are on life support with just two games remaining; they can be eliminated as soon as Saturday. And on Friday, it was unfortunately deGrom who put them there.
“Listen, I would always bet on Jacob,” Schumaker said. “I'd want him in Game 1 of a series. I would have taken my chances again if he was available tomorrow, I believe in Jacob deGrom. It was a rough start, unfortunately tonight. I know he wanted to go seven tonight, shut out. Especially after scoring first with your ace on the mound, you felt pretty good about it. It was just one of those innings, unfortunately.”
The defeat puts the Rangers (79-81) a half-game back of the Astros -- with Houston in the middle of its game against the A’s in West Sacramento. Houston also owns the tiebreaker thanks to winning the season series.
“Two games left,” Schumaker said. “We’ll obviously be scoreboard watching tonight. It’s part of the game and part of where we're at in the season. The important thing is to come back tomorrow and do whatever we can to fight and to try to win that game tomorrow. That's the most important game. Tough one today, no doubt about it. But we have to figure out a way to keep going, stay positive, and win tomorrow, and see what happens [with the Astros] tonight.”
It only took approximately 20 minutes for things to unravel for the Rangers. Twenty minutes that could ultimately decide their postseason fate.
In that 20-minute span on Friday night at Target Field, the Rangers went from having a two-run lead over the Twins in the first inning to losing their best hitter and watching their ace implode on the mound in their most important game of the season yet.
Third baseman Josh Jung was hit on the right hand with a pitch during his plate appearance against Joe Ryan in the first inning. Jung, who was slotted in at DH on Friday, initially stayed in the game to run the bases, but was removed for a pinch-hitter the next time through the order.
In between those two plate appearances, deGrom allowed the Twins to put up a six spot in the second inning. deGrom pitched an easy and clean 1-2-3 first, but saw 10 Minnesota batters in the second. He gave up another two runs in the fourth, his final inning of the regular season.
The six runs he allowed in the second are tied for the most he’s allowed in an inning in his career.
“I'm embarrassed about that,” deGrom said. “That was not good.”
Back at the Trade Deadline, deGrom refused to waive his no-trade clause because he wanted to stay with the Rangers. He said he felt like this team could win and he wanted to be here to help that happen.
In his final two starts this season, with everything on the line, deGrom allowed 11 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. He had the same number of walks as strikeouts in that time (seven).
“It's embarrassing,” deGrom reiterated. “To go out there and put us in that situation after we scored early, I don't really know what to say. It just got out of hand, and I couldn't get it back under control. It was embarrassing. It was terrible. I didn't make any pitches when I needed to. We’ll hope for a positive outcome in Sacramento, and hopefully win the next two.”