ARLINGTON -- There have been 14 Rangers starting pitchers who have shared 19 All-Star Game selections in club history. Yu Darvish, selected for the fourth time this season, is the only one going to the All-Star Game with a losing record.
Darvish earned that distinction in a 3-0 loss to the Angels on Sunday that left him 6-8 with a 3.49 ERA after 19 starts.
But among those 14 pitchers, Darvish had the lowest run support over the first half in his All-Star season. The Rangers are averaging 3.49 runs of support for every nine innings Darvish is on the mound this season. That's the 10th lowest in club history for a starter with at least 100 innings before the All-Star break.
"Run support-wise, we haven't been scoring runs when I pitch," Darvish said after allowing three runs in 7 1/3 innings against the Angels. "It is what it is. There is nothing I can do about it. My focus is on facing one hitter at a time. I don't look at the scoreboard."
The Rangers have won just one of Darvish's last nine starts. He is 1-6 with a 4.25 ERA in that stretch with a 1.11 WHIP and 57 strikeouts in 55 innings. Texas has averaged 1.80 runs of support over nine innings for him.
The Rangers managed just two hits on Sunday afternoon against Angels right-hander JC Ramirez and three relievers. This was the second time the Rangers have been shut out this season.
The loss was Darvish's 38th of his career, and nine of them have come when the Rangers didn't score a run while he was in the game.
"Was it wasted?…I wouldn't call it wasted," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "We ran into a guy [Ramirez] at the top of his game. He threw the ball well. Darvish made just two mistakes. If Darvish is throwing the ball well, I'll take my chances."
Darvish's biggest mistake was a curveball that Jose Pujols hit out in the top of the first inning.
"Darvish was outstanding," catcher Robinson Chirinos said. "He hung up the breaking ball to Pujols, after that he was on a roll. His fastball, his changeup were unbelievable today."
The Rangers only hits were a double by Nomar Mazara in the fourth and a hit-and-run single by Delino DeShields in the fifth. They were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
"Yeah, you always want to put up some runs for every guy on the staff," shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "The first half hasn't been that lucky for Yu, but we tried. We had a couple of opportunities and weren't able to capitalize. Hopefully in the second half we'll have his back."