'It's got to get better': Lorenzen’s struggles continue in shortest start of season

TORONTO -- Michael Lorenzen fired his hands into the air, dumbfounded by the events that unfolded. The Rangers right-hander polished off the first two Blue Jays hitters of the afternoon in emphatic fashion, but the final out of the first inning proved elusive -- so elusive it became the Rangers’ undoing in their 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Two singles brought Daulton Varsho to the dish with two outs. Toronto’s center fielder, normally a dead-pull hitter, cut hard at an outside fastball, and barreled it into the left field bullpen at Rogers Centre for an opposite-field three-run homer. Lorenzen was baffled. Little did he know the hit parade was just ramping up.

After the Varsho homer, Toronto proceeded to bat around. Alejandro Kirk and Ernie Clement singled while Lorenzen yielded two walks, prompting Rangers manager Bruce Bochy to yank him from the game after just 40 pitches and two-thirds of an inning.

“[I’m] pretty frustrated about it,” said Lorenzen. “You make adjustments, you work on stuff, you prepare as best as you can not to go throw two-thirds of an inning … It’s got to get better.”

Bochy saw Lorenzen’s gas tank empty near the end of the inning and knew it was time to make a change before his starter faced the Jays order a second time.

“I think I’ll say he’s not quite as sharp with his command,” Bochy said of Lorenzen, referencing his turbulent last few appearances. “[The Blue Jays] did get some hits, and he was starting to show some fatigue out there with the number of pitches.”

It’s been a rough ride for Lorenzen lately, who still looks like a bargain signing at one year, $4.5 million, despite a 6.97 ERA over his last five outings. Versatility will be the name of the game very soon for this pitching staff, and Lorenzen is a key candidate to slide into a swingman role once multiple injured starters return.

Lorenzen’s tenure as a starter is only a recent endeavor, as the 32-year-old has made 273 career appearances out of the bullpen. José Ureña is another stretched-out ‘pen arm who will come in handy down the stretch. He proved his worth in Saturday’s contest, relieving Lorenzen in the first and spinning 4 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on five hits. Dane Dunning also tossed three innings in this contest, flashing his own versatility.

However the pieces shake out, the Rangers will be fine if they stand pat on pitching additions ahead of Tuesday’s Trade Deadline because, in a way, they have an army of faux-deadline players coming off the injured list. Starter-turned-reliever Cody Bradford is close to an MLB return, as is starter Tyler Mahle, who will gracefully slide into the Rangers’ rotation. We can’t forget ace Jacob deGrom either, as the two-time NL Cy Young winner is very close to facing live hitters as he targets an August return, per Bochy.

While pitching depth won’t be a problem for the Rangers, the club may look to add on offense. Texas outfielders have posted just a .674 OPS entering Saturday, which ranks 22nd in the Majors, leaving some room for upgrades. The Rangers might also want to add a designated hitter or first baseman who offers some pop off the bench.

Wyatt Langford’s success might also influence how Texas tinkers with its outfield in the coming days, and the rookie looked mighty comfortable in left field Saturday. Langford smacked an RBI double in the top of the third inning and uncorked a dynamite throw in the bottom half to nab Davis Schneider at the plate to save a run.

“He had a great game,” Bochy said. “He got us back in the game [with the double] and kept us in the game with the throw home, so nice job by Wyatt.”

Two consecutive losses doesn’t mean the Rangers are cooked, though.

Now at 51-54 and four games back of the Astros for the AL West lead, the season’s sand timer isn’t drained -- or even close to empty, for that matter -- but Texas can’t afford to lose three in a row.

“We'll go back to the drawing board and look at some stuff to make sure that we get back on track,” said Lorenzen.