ARLINGTON – The Rangers held a one-run lead over the Padres heading into the seventh inning Saturday night at Globe Life Field. It’s games like those that manager Chris Woodward emphasized his club needs to find a way to win.

Instead, the Rangers fell just short of a bounce-back victory. No-hit by Joe Musgrove in the series opener the night before, the offense nabbed seven hits in a 7-4 loss, but the Rangers couldn’t hold off the aggressive San Diego bats.

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“Sometimes just executing is what we need to do,” Woodward said. “The reason why good teams get it done in big moments is because they put themselves in the situation [to win] often. So when we have a chance to win games, we’ve got to learn to control our emotions and to be able to execute and trust that that's going to get it done.”

The Rangers were much more composed at the plate on Saturday, jumping on the Padres early with a three-run second inning. Texas shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa continued to produce in the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run. He had three RBIs, matching his season high.

Kiner-Falefa’s home run in the fifth inning, an estimated 413 feet, was the longest of his career. The 107.9 mph exit velocity also matched a career high. Kiner-Falefa quietly has been one of the Rangers’ best all-around players through the first two weeks of the season. He has a .273/.314/.515 slash line and an .829 OPS.

Rangers starter Jordan Lyles said pitching with a guy like Kiner-Falefa playing defense behind him makes it easier on the mound, that he never disappoints in his playmaking abilities.

“He's in tune with the game and is getting jumps on balls and making plays,” Woodward said in agreement. “He's the heart and soul. He plays hard, never gives up on a pitch, and he’s obviously swinging the bat really well, giving us the lead in the fifth inning, which we couldn’t hold.”

Jonah Heim’s two-out double in the second inning snapped an 0-for-34 skid for the Rangers dating back to the eighth inning of the series finale vs. the Blue Jays on Wednesday. Going back to that same game, Texas had 16 straight scoreless innings before Eli White drove Heim in with a triple.

Woodward said he felt like the quality of the Rangers’ at-bats decreased as the game went on.

“Obviously, we’ve got to do a better job,” Woodward said. “We ran out of quality at-bats, and we ran into quality pitches. That's why we lost. We had a chance to win the game. They shut us down, honestly. We’ve got to do a better job of just putting a little bit more pressure on those guys, especially when we know what their game plan is to get us out.” 

Rangers pitchers gave up three home runs and walked four batters. Woodward has emphasized the importance of attacking the strike zone, especially against a team like San Diego that makes you pay for mistakes. Of the four batters who walked, only one scored, thanks to the fact the Rangers’ defense turned four double plays.

Lyles said he felt like he pitched well, but the Padres hitters were aggressive at the plate and fouled off enough pitches to make him work through his 4 1/3 innings. He wasn’t feeling his curveball as well as he usually does, opting to use mostly four-seam fastballs and sliders.

“It was tough to get in the groove; it was a scrappy game,” Lyles said. “They did a really good job of keeping me in counts. I just wasn’t able to put those guys away early enough the way I wanted to.”