Jacob deGrom lasted only 3 1/3 innings and allowed five runs in a 5-4 loss to the Astros, and the Texas Rangers have lost four straight games ahead of the trade deadline.
HOUSTON — On the day he reached 10 years of MLB service time, a benchmark all players strive to reach, Brandon Nimmo told his Texas Rangers teammates that he’s playing for more.
Not more seasons, though those will come, but more playoff opportunities, including the one that has somehow presented itself this season. Nimmo will celebrate 10 years later, he said, hopefully with champagne after the Rangers clinch a playoff spot.
Of more immediate concern is winning ballgames and the trade deadline. Nimmo said he was “worried” about that, wondering how everything is going to shake out across the league and on his own team.
He can’t control what happens between now and Monday. He can control some of what happens on the field, and things aren’t going particularly well for the Rangers and his longtime baseball buddy Jacob deGrom.
The same goes for Nathan Eovaldi, and that is trouble for the Rangers’ playoff hopes.
A night after Eovaldi allowed six runs in a series-opening loss to the Astros, deGrom allowed five in only 3 2/3 innings in another loss, 5-4. The Rangers have lost four straight games to fall back below .500 and 1 1/2 games behind the Astros in the American League West.
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker has said that neither starter is pitching at full strength. The trade deadline is at 5 p.m. Monday. The Rangers have already added to the bullpen via a Wednesday trade with the Angels, and they would like to add a right-handed hitting outfielder.
If the Rangers suddenly feel like they can’t rely on Eovaldi and deGrom to stay healthy and pitch effectively, a starting pitcher might be a consideration for the front office. Manager Skip Schumaker isn’t there yet.
“I think there are guys that we have internally that will give us a shot,” Schumaker said. “I know it’s post-All-Star break, and I know it’s the trade deadline. I totally understand. It’s August. There still a lot of games, though. If I hadn’t seen this team make a run before, the I wouldn’t think it could happen. But I’ve seen it, and that was without some of our guys being fully healthy.”
No player is fully healthy at this time of the season. All active players are dealing with some kind of ailment that requires maintenance but isn’t bad enough to land on the injured list. Eovaldi and deGrom, though, are the aces of a starting rotation that was supposed to be the Rangers’ strength.
The Rangers lined up Eovaldi and deGrom for the Astros series, knowing its importance on the division race and potentially how the series might shape the front office’s thinking on making further additions. It might have, just not in the way they were hoping.
Instead, it’s not unreasonable for the Rangers to be concerned about Eovaldi’s left knee and deGrom’s left hip/glute. The Rangers will have difficulty clinching the division or advancing in the postseason if their aces aren’t sharp, leaving the front office to possibly add a starter or sit out the rest of the trading period.
Neither deGrom nor Eovaldi used his malady as an excuse. Schumaker, pitching coach Jordan Tiegs and athletic trainer Matt Lucero visited deGrom in the third inning after his left foot twisted as he moved toward a ball in play, but he stay in the game.
The problem, deGrom said, was that he couldn’t throw his slider for a strike and was relegated to being a one-pitch pitcher. His fastball was clocked as fast as 101 mph, a sign that his mechanics were dialed in. He just didn’t rise to the occasion.
“I didn’t make pitches when I needed to, so it was just a bad job by me,” deGrom said. “I’ve had to say that too many times this year. That’s on me. We lost this game because I wasn’t able to go out there and execute and make pitches when I needed to.”
He expects to make his next start, Friday against the Orioles. As was the case before the All-Star break, deGrom said that the hip/glute issue is managable. He will continue to search for a fix to issue with executing pitches.
He tossed a scoreless first inning before surrendering a run in the second. Wyatt Langford homered in the third to tie the game, but the Astros struck for two in there half of the inning. The Rangers again tied the game in the fourth on an Alejandro Osuna RBI single and a safety squeeze by Elias Diaz.
But deGrom recorded only on more out and left after Christian Walker’s grounder to first base was defected by a diving Joc Pederson for an infield hit. That made it 4-3, and the Astros added another on a close play at the plate after a Cole Winn wild pitch.
Diaz homered in the sixth, but some missed chances earlier came back to haunt the Rangers. DeGrom is haunted by his outing, which included five walks.
“We needed to win today’s game,” he said. “That was the bottom line, and I needed to come in and put us in a position to do that.”
The Rangers have already added ahead of the deadline, acquiring right-handed reliever Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O’Hoppe on Wednesday from the Angels. They want to add a right-handed-hitting outfielder, which they could have used Saturday night.
If they are thinking about supplementing the rotation, the Rangers would likely have to part with multiple prospect and pony up on the financial end. President of baseball operations Chris Young said the Rangers are open to upgrading the team in a variety of ways.
They are presumed to be out on Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal, but Detroit might also part with right-hander Casey Mize. The Angels have right-hander Jose Soriano, who was scratched from his start Saturday, and left-hander Reid Detmers. They would both come with contractual control.
Mets righty Freddy Peralta is a high-end rental, something that might turn off the Rangers.
The players can’t control what the front office does before the trade deadline. They can control what happens on the field, and Eovaldi and deGrom need to be better.
“Just a terrible job by me,” deGrom said. “Honestly, I’m kind of tired fo saying that, so I better figure something out.”
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
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