[jksander]

June 13, 2025: In our first of three games in Texas, Noah Schultz (1-0, 1.35 ERA, 6.2 IP, 7 K’s, 0.45 WHIP) faced off against Rangers number five starter Jon Gray (7-4, 5.32 ERA, 64.1 IP, 57 K’s, 1.52 WHIP) who has been able to dominate despite subpar stuff due to the team’s brutally consistent hitters. We got going in the first inning despite two outs to start the frame -- Mike Tauchman walked, took second on a wild pitch, and then came around to score off an RBI single by Miguel Vargas to put us in the lead 1-0! In the top of the second Otto Lopez hit an RBI single to extend the lead, and in the third inning Vargas scored off a groundout by Teel to make it 3-0 White Sox! Texas got it all back in the bottom of the inning, however, Marcus Semien hitting a two-run double and Corey Seager tying the game with an RBI single. But we kept fighting -- Otto Lopez hit a solo homer in the top of the fourth to put us back into the lead, and again the Rangers answered, Seager hitting a solo slam to tie it back up in the bottom of the sixth. A Kyle Higashioka RBI double put them into the lead 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh, but we stunned the crowd in the eighth when Lenyn Sosa hit a two-run homer to flip us back on top. Craig Kimbrel kept them from tying things in the eighth, and Penn Murfee came out for the last two outs in the ninth to keep it that way, as we beat the Rangers 6-5 in game one! Schultz gave us a good start, 5.1 innings with five hits, a walk, a run and four strikeouts, but it was Noah Syndegaard who got the win from the pen ... he got us five key outs with two hits, a strikeout and an earned run, improving to 4-3 with a 3.52 ERA, while Kimbrel got his fifth hold and Murfee his first save. We managed to outhit the Rangers 8-7, led by leadoff-man Lopez, who hit three times and walked once, scoring once and driving in two with his first homer of the year.

June 14, 2025: Ryan Weber (3-5, 3.22 ERA, 64.1 IP, 43 K’s, 1.20 WHIP) pitched against Jacob deGrom (4-3, 3.99 ERA, 79.0 IP, 104 K’s, 1.10 WHIP) in game two against the Rangers, and Texas wasted no time getting the lead -- Evan Carter doubled and Joc Pederson batted him home with a single to give them a quick 1-0 lead after one inning. They added on a pair in the third with a Pederson sac-fly and an RBI single by Adolis Garcia, and we didn’t score until the top of the fifth when Grenier hit a single to drive home Marte and get us within two. But the Rangers put an end to our hopes when Joc Pederson hit a leadoff homer which was soon followed by a Josh Smith hit a grand slam, putting the Rangers up 8-1 as we went into the sixth feeling thoroughly defeated. They added six more runs in the bottom of the seventh, thanks to a three-run triple by Evan Carter, among other embarassments. That was more than enough to cement a 14-1 beatdown as the Rangers evened the series and flexed their muscles. Weber lasted 4.1 innings with 12 hits, two walks, two strikeouts and EIGHT earned runs, more than earning him the loss as he fell to 3-6 with a 4.06 ERA, and we were outhit 16-8, Slater and Alfaro hitting twice each but getting nowhere.

June 15, 2025: Sean Burke (4-6, 4.10 ERA, 63.2 IP, 67 K’s, 1.29 WHIP) got the start in our last game against the Rangers, facing Nathan Eovaldi (4-4, 3.36 ERA, 72.1 IP, 73 K’s, 1.29 WHIP). Texas took the lead with a lead-off homer in the bottom of the first by Wyatt Langford, and moments later Marcus Semien hit an RBI single to extend the lead. We managed to tie the score in the top of the sixth with a two-run homer by Mike Tauchman, but Langford hit his second of the game in the bottom of the eighth to put the Rangers ahead for good. They beat us 3-2, and snapped our streak of three consecutive series wins, but we fought hard in this one and it’s hard to find fault with a team that keeps coming out fighting even with the odds (and the opponents’ lineup) stacked against them. Penn Murfee took the loss, falling to 0-3 with a 4.46 ERA after allowing Langford’s second dinger. They outhit us 8-6, with Tauchman as our offensive leader with his two-run homer, number ten on the year.

We’re off tomorrow and then have nine of our last dozen games this month at home in front of our fans at Rate Field. This week we host St. Louis (34-38, 4th NL Central), travel to Toronto (37-35, 2nd AL East) for a weekend series, and then play Arizona (36-35, 2nd NL West) and San Francisco (30-42, 4th NL West) in Chicago. It’s a stretch of games we should be competitive in, though our 30-42 record remains far from intimidating. But we’re not the worst team in the majors, so we’re going to take our plusses where we can find them.