With depleted rotation, Ureña gives Rangers much-needed length

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers have exactly four healthy starting pitchers at this exact moment: Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, Cody Bradford and rookie Jack Leiter.

Jon Gray and Tyler Mahle are likely done for the season with a pair of injuries. Dane Dunning has been optioned to Triple-A for the first time in his Rangers tenure. Jacob deGrom is throwing what the Rangers hope to be his final rehab assignment on Saturday with Double-A Frisco. Max Scherzer will be in Las Vegas throwing for Triple-A Round Rock.

Injuries are obviously going to happen, but things aren’t picture perfect in Arlington right now. All that to say, Friday night’s 5-1 loss to the Angels at Globe Life Field is pretty much exactly what one could expect from a bullpen day for the Rangers.

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A trio of relievers in Gerson Garabito, Walter Pennington and José Ureña covered the entire game, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks. The Halos blew the game open when Ureña surrendered a three-run homer to Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe in the sixth inning, which was one of just three hits the right-hander allowed.

Ureña’s 5 2/3 innings is the longest relief appearance by a Ranger since Jordan Lyles’ seven frames on Sept. 7, 2021, at Arizona, though he has covered at least four innings of relief on seven separate occasions this season.

“I'm sure he'd like to have that 0-2 pitch back, a changeup that stayed up in the zone,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “But he gave us length. We just couldn't get some runs to get us back in that game.”

Ureña has arguably been one of the most important members of the Rangers' pitching staff this season, especially as Eovaldi, Gray, Dunning, Bradford, deGrom, Scherzer and Mahle have all been on the injured list at some point this season.

He’s been a Swiss Army Knife of sorts for the Rangers this season, having been used out of the bullpen for most of the year, while also slotting into the rotation whenever necessary. He’s emphasized on multiple occasions that he’s happy to do whatever the team asks of him. He’s done that all season long.

Ureña has a 5.08 ERA in 44 1/3 innings as a starter this season, but he has a 2.71 ERA in 63 innings as a reliever. That’s likely why he didn’t get another spot start in Friday’s game to begin with.

“He's done a terrific job,” Bochy said. “I mean, he's done everything we've asked. He threw, what, 75 pitches or whatever and saved the bullpen. He's been a very, very valuable member of the staff.”

O’Hoppe’s homer off Ureña may have blown the game open, but the Rangers' offense continued its months-long struggles, despite some production during the homestand. In the loss, Texas collected just four hits, all singles. It was the fewest hits for the club since Aug. 25 at Cleveland (also four).

The Rangers have been held scoreless in 15 of 17 innings in the two games against the Angels this season. Adolis García has provided all the runs with a three-run homer in Thursday night’s win and a sacrifice fly on Friday.

“We just couldn’t get it going offensively [tonight],” Bochy said. “Their guy pitched well. His fastball played up more than what it looked like. We had a hard time with it tonight. He pitched a good ballgame, mixed in his changeup and slider [and curveball]. We just couldn't get anything going there.”