The Rangers landed in Denver short two All-Stars and walked into a 7-6 series-opening loss that cost them MacKenzie Gore after one inning to left lat tightness. Now it's a getaway day at altitude with Jack Leiter trying to drag a 23-25 club back to .500 against a Rockies team that, despite a 19-30 record, has actually been a nuisance in this series.
Leiter's 1-4 record is a lie. His last start was 7 innings of 1-run ball with 6 strikeouts in a 2-0 loss to Houston, and he piled up 17 strikeouts over his last 11 innings before today. The problem has been run support, and that problem doesn't typically follow you to Coors Field. Freeland, meanwhile, is the kind of matchup hitters circle — a 7.22 ERA on the season and a May that has been genuinely brutal, with opposing hitters teeing off in three straight starts.
The market still has Texas as a road favorite at -129, which tracks. Pinnacle's spread is Rangers -1, DraftKings stretched it to -1.5, and the total is hanging at 10-10.5 — a Coors number that still feels low if Freeland's command is anywhere near where it has been this month. The EV is negative across the board, so this isn't a screaming bet, just a screaming bet *against* Kyle Freeland in May.
The bigger story for Texas is the infirmary. Corey Seager hit the 10-day IL with back issues earlier this week, Wyatt Langford is still working back from a forearm strain, Josh Smith is in a hospital with viral meningitis, and now Gore is headed for an MRI. That's a chunk of the lineup and a third of the rotation. Colorado has its own problems — Kris Bryant's back still won't let him play, Chase Dollander is on the 15-day IL with arm tightness — but at least the Rockies are getting healthy bats like Brenton Doyle back into the box.
- Day-To-DayMacKenzie Gore SP — Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said that Gore will most likely undergo an MRI on Tuesday after exiting Monday's 7-6 loss to the Rockies after one inning due to left lat tightness, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DaySebastian Walcott SS — Rangers GM Ross Fenstermaker said Tuesday that Walcott could be ready for game action in August, "if all things according to plan" in his rehab from the internal brace procedure he underwent on his right elbow, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILWyatt Langford LF — Langford did a strength test on his right forearm Sunday and recovered well when re-evaluated Monday, though he hasn't been cleared to resume throwing or hitting yet, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILCorey Seager SS — Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday on 105.3 The FAN that Seager (back) will be placed on the injured list, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILJosh Smith 2B — Smith (lower body/wrist) was diagnosed with viral meningitis Friday and is receiving treatment in a hospital, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILCody Freeman 3B — Freeman (back) will begin a rehab assignment with the Rangers' Arizona Complex League affiliate Thursday.
- 15-Day-ILLuis Curvelo RP — Curvelo (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILCarter Baumler RP — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBrenton Doyle CF — Doyle went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored Saturday against the Diamondbacks.
- Day-To-DayBrayan Castillo RP — The Rockies announced Monday that Castillo is dealing with right lat tightness and has been shut down from throwing while undergoing treatment for the injury, TheDNVR.com reports.
- Day-To-DayCase Williams SP — Williams is currently slowed by a stress reaction in his right triceps, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayJared Thomas CF — The Rockies announced Monday that Thomas hasn't been participating in spring training while he recovers from offseason surgery to address a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist, TheDNVR.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJordan Beck LF — Beck went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI on Saturday against Atlanta.
- 15-Day-ILChase Dollander SP — Dollander was lifted from Thursday's start versus the Pirates in the second inning due to right arm tightness, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJimmy Herget RP — The Rockies reinstated Herget (personal) from the bereavement list Tuesday.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Feltner SP — Feltner (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Hartford on Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
Bottom line: this is the spot where Texas has to win. Their best healthy starter going against the worst ERA in the matchup, in a series they cannot afford to lose at Coors. If Leiter gets the same offensive support he's been getting all year, even Freeland might survive. If not, the Rangers leave Denver under .500 with a rotation problem and a shortstop problem and a no-real-answers problem.