ARLINGTON -- “Dominate the Fundamentals" adorns the hallway that leads from the Rangers' clubhouse to the dugout at Globe Life Field.
It’s one of the pillars that the organization is built around.
On Tuesday, the Rangers had just one official error on the books. But a messy defensive day across the board in the series opener against the Mets turned into a field day for New York hitters.
The Rangers ultimately lost, 6-3, to the Mets, dropping their second game in a row in the midst of a race for the American League West.
The Rangers’ sole lead atop the AL West lasted a grand total of three days after gaining four games on the Astros since Sept. 12. Texas has had 51 days with at least a share of first place, including at the end of Tuesday night, but Houston owns the tiebreaker.
The Rangers’ patchwork pitching staff was put to the test again on Tuesday, when starter MacKenzie Gore battled his way through five innings before turning it over to the bullpen.
Gore has been dealing with muscle spasms since his last start, but he said that he felt like he figured out how to deal with it. Against the Red Sox that day, he went just four innings as he battled the spasms that were obviously affecting his control and command more than usual. Nathan Eovaldi finished that game with four scoreless innings behind reliever Jakob Junis.
On Tuesday, Gore tossed five innings as he clearly battled through something with his velocity down multiple ticks across the board. Schumaker, pitching coach Jordan Tiegs and head trainer Matt Lucero made a visit to the mound after Gore issued a four-pitch walk to Francisco Lindor in the second inning. He stayed in the game, allowing two runs (one earned) before turning it over to Eovaldi, looking to rewrite a similar script.
Eovaldi allowed three runs in a messy sixth inning, allowing the Mets to take a lead that they never relinquished.