TORONTO -- No opener, no problem.
Kumar Rocker dealt six scoreless innings against the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon, carrying the Rangers to a 3-2 win to finish off a four-game sweep of the reigning American League champions at Rogers Centre.
“I was just trying to get out there and give us a chance to win,” Rocker said. “It was big. We came out here and won four games and we’re leaving with a sweep. That was the goal. We fought hard and got it done.”
And Rocker was able to do it without the opener crutch.
The Rangers have used Tyler Alexander as an opener twice ahead of Rocker: Once in a May 19 win in Colorado, when Rocker shoved 7 2/3 scoreless innings, and again in Miami last week, when he allowed two runs in five frames in a win.
But they couldn’t utilize an opener ahead of Rocker on Sunday with the Rangers using five relievers in a bullpen game the day prior.
“It probably would have crossed my mind -- it has to, right? -- because it's worked,” manager Skip Schumaker said pregame. “But my goodness, our bullpen is crushed. It was gonna be challenging to do that and after yesterday. It was like not even an option.”
But what followed was the best road start of Rocker’s young big league career.
“Rock was fantastic,” Schumaker said postgame. “It was hot out there too. He was able to get six innings and 90-something pitches, a lot of balls on the ground, not too many leverage situations. His last couple starts have been really, really good.”
Rocker’s start was much needed. With the Rangers still down a starter and a bullpen day in Saturday’s win, there were a limited number of available arms on Sunday. And the Rangers bullpen, for the fourth day in a row, allowed the Blue Jays to get back into the game, when Cole Winn allowed a game-tying, two-run home run from Nathan Lukes in the eighth inning.
The Rangers scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning when Josh Jung doubled and pinch runner Jarred Kelenic went from second to home on a wild pitch.
“That was Pipe,” Schumaker said of bench coach Luis Urueta recommending Kelenic pinch run. “That's why you have to have a good bench coach. If we don't do that, we don't score that run against a really good closer, and who knows what happens. That incredible secondary and advancing.”
What happens is that the Rangers would have likely gone to extra innings with only two arms available in the bullpen: Alexander and rookie Winston Santos, who is awaiting his MLB debut.
But with a lead, Alexander slammed the door shut, securing his third save of the season.
“It's awesome to see us sweep four games,” Alexander said. “It shows the resilience of our bullpen. I mean, we go through stretches where we’re not used a lot. We go through stretches where our starters have been doing great, and for the most part, they have been doing awesome. It's great that everybody can pitch in in different roles and situations they are not used to. It’s awesome.”
Starting pitching was meant to be the strength of this team entering the season. It hasn’t gone particularly smooth every time out. But this weekend, it all came together,
As starters, Rocker, Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore and Cal Quantrill -- filling in for the injured Jack Leiter -- combined to allow just three runs in 24 innings during the four-game sweep. That’s good for a 1.13 ERA. And that’s without ace Jacob deGrom even taking the mound.
“We needed all of these starters innings this series,” Schumaker said. “They provided more than enough too. It was awesome to watch. … They were all team wins [this weekend]. We had to use every single guy on our roster to win each game. I’m really proud of the whole group. There's no second-guessing, they did whatever was needed.”