ARLINGTON -- The Rangers used seven pitchers on Tuesday, and they combined to allow 12 runs on 14 hits and four walks. They threw a combined 158 pitches as the Rangers went down for the eighth time in nine games with a 12-10 loss to the Red Sox at Globe Life Park.

When it was over, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was surprisingly effusive in his praise of the Rangers' pitching and their future.

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"Arms, man," Cora said. "They've got some arms. I saw some 97s, 99s, cutters, some special fastballs, and that's where the game is going. I do feel that next year, it's going to be a different vibe with the new stadium. They've got some guys who can hit. Obviously some of them are hurt. I know they've got money. It will be an interesting offseason for [general manager Jon Daniels] to see what they do. You see the arms. That's pretty impressive."

The seven Rangers pitchers on Tuesday included two veterans in the twilight of their careers and four rookies trying to make an impression for next season. It was an interesting mix of hurlers right from the start.

Edinson Vólquez, who is planning to retire after the season, was used as the opener but couldn't get through the first inning. He faced eight hitters and allowed four runs on five hits and one walk while recording just two outs.

"Yeah, as a pitcher, you just don't want that," Vólquez said. "They kept finding holes. It's part of the game. I have been through that before in my career. Everything I threw up there, they put a good swing on it."

This was his 286th game pitched in a 14-year career and might be the last, although manager Chris Woodward is hoping to get Vólquez in there one more time.

"I would like to get him back out there," Woodward said. "Today was just a little unlucky, three weak ground balls that got through. I thought he did all right."

Vólquez was followed by Ariel Jurado, who was supposed to start the game until the Rangers opted to use Vólquez in front of him. Jurado got the final out of the first inning, but after the Rangers scored four in the bottom half, he allowed four runs over the next three innings and ended up taking the loss.

Jurado is now 7-11 with a 5.81 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP on the season. He also has the third most starts and wins on the staff. But if the Rangers are aggressive in pursuing starting pitching this offseason, Jurado could come into Spring Training next year with a steep climb to make the team.

"This offseason is going to be really important for him," Woodward said. "Come into camp really in shape and ready to go. When he has conviction and life on the ball, he has gotten some pretty good teams and pretty good hitters out. I think in the middle of the season, I wouldn't say [he] ran out of gas but a little bit. He lost a little life on his ball. I still feel like he did a really good job for us ... he pitched a lot of good innings for us."

Brett Martin and Shawn Kelley followed Jurado with quick appearances. Kelley's was cut short when he experienced groin tightness while warming up to start the sixth. That might leave him doubtful for the five games left before the offseason. The Rangers hold a $2.5 million option for next season, and Kelley has said that if the Rangers don't pick it up, he will retire.

"He was just a little tight so we got him out of there," Woodward said. "He didn't feel all that great when he went back out there. I saw the grimace on his face when he threw the first warmup pitch. We didn't need him to be a hero, so we got him out of there."

The Rangers' most effective pitcher on Friday was Jeffrey Springs, the rookie left-hander who was on the Opening Day roster, had mixed success through the first 2 1/2 months, and then went down for more than two months with biceps tendinitis. Both he and Martin will go into Spring Training needing to win a job, but every team needs at least one left-handed reliever in the bullpen.

Rookie right-hander Emmanuel Clase and veteran Rafael Montero finished the night with one scoreless inning each. They have been the two brightest spots in the Rangers' bullpen this season. Like Martin and Springs, they will have to win jobs in Spring Training, but they have at least positioned themselves at the top of the list going into what will be a spirited competition.

"You see the arms," Cora said. "Pretty impressive."