ARLINGTON -- Kumar Rocker got the first two outs on four total pitches on Sunday afternoon. Then he walked two batters and Rangers killer Carlos Cortes drove them in with an RBI triple.
The Rangers were playing from behind for the third day in a row against the A’s. And this was a deficit they could never come back from, though not for lack of opportunities.
It was a tremendous bounceback for Rocker, who threw five scoreless and minimized the damage after his bumpy first inning. But he was still tagged with the loss as the offense floundered all afternoon and the Rangers eventually fell, 2-1, to finish the series at Globe Life Field.
“Rocker was great,” said manager Skip Schumaker. “He walked those two guys in the first inning and after that really settled in. He gave us a chance to win. Six innings, two runs, you'd sign up for that all day long. He was fantastic. We just couldn't get that big hit.”
It was as winnable of a game that you'll ever have.
The Rangers worked five walks and tried to manufacture some offense, including a bunt for a hit from Josh Smith and a sacrifice bunt by Evan Carter that scored their only run.
They went 5-for-8 with a walk when leading off an inning, but just 1-for-20 (.050) with runners on base. They had at least one baserunner in every inning except for a 1-2-3 ninth, but ultimately went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, stranding 11 on base.
The most damning instance of the day was a bases-loaded, no-outs situation in the sixth inning, when the Rangers had a chance to break the game fully open. Instead, they got a pair of strikeouts and a lineout to end any type of threat.
“We did the little things well, right?” Schumaker said. “We had the right guys up at the right times. We put the bunts down at the right spots. Their guys did a really good job of punching the guys out at the time in a big spot. The goal, definitely, with bases loaded and nobody out is put [the ball] in play, at least get one. We just didn't do that tonight.”
In 2026, the Rangers are slashing .248/.333/.410 with runners in scoring position. Their .743 OPS with RISP is 14th in baseball at the conclusion of Sunday’s game.
“I wish I could tell you why,” Schumaker said. “I don't really have that answer. We’ve had different guys up. It's not just the same guy up. But it's gonna happen at some point. We're too good of an offense, there's too many good players in our lineup for it not to come through. It's not like they haven't done it before. We've had a lot of traffic. I don't really have an answer for the reason why we haven't gotten that big hit.”
The Rangers are clearly doing something right. Unlike 2025, when the offense felt devoid of any baserunners to strand, Texas hitters are putting the ball in play and finding a way to get on base at any cost.
But the throughline in a lot of these losses has been an inability to drive those runners in.
“Unfortunately, it's extremely frustrating,” said outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who went 1-for-5 and stranded four runners of his own in the loss. “Yes, we would love to come through in those situations. I want it for all these guys as well. We have to take it as a learning experience, and you have to try and take it and use it for the next time in that situation.
“These guys, they have a plan. They're going up there trying to execute it. It's a round bat, it's a round ball. It's hard. They're throwing the ball pretty well up there. I have a lot of confidence in these guys to come through. It just wasn't meant to be. Today didn't happen.”
If missed opportunities are the theme of today’s loss, then new opportunities will be the theme for tomorrow. The necessary ingredients are there for the Rangers to succeed. They’ve just got to put it all together to get the offense back on track.
“Every day is a new day, and every series is a new series,” Nimmo said. “Just because you did well yesterday doesn't mean you're going to do well today and vice versa. I take this from Ted Lasso, but you gotta be a goldfish. You really have to forget about yesterday. That doesn't matter. It's a new day, you're gonna get new new pitches, a whole new way of thinking. We go to battle in a new three-game series, we try to win it. We'll need to come prepared tomorrow and wipe the slate clean and be a goldfish.”