Rangers' 'pen can't hold off Angels' rally

ANAHEIM -- It wasn’t a secret that the Rangers were in desperate need of pitching this offseason.

The front office addressed most of its concerns, adding a trio of veteran signings in Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney to the top of the rotation. The bullpen still needed work, but veteran lefty Will Smith was the only relief addition Texas made.

That lack of bullpen depth has been a glaring issue early this season.

The Rangers fell, 5-4, in Friday’s series opener against the Angels at Angel Stadium, the bullpen blowing its fifth late-game lead in the last 13 games. The game ended on a wild pitch from Josh Sborz in the 10th inning -- his first and only pitch -- but it was the ninth inning that truly did the damage.

Texas entered the frame leading, 4-1, as Smith took the mound, the newly-named closer replacing a struggling José Leclerc in the role.

Smith, who entered the game with a 1.69 ERA and four saves on the season, proceeded to give up three runs on four hits, allowing the Angels to tie the game and send it to extra innings.

“We did so many good things, but you gotta get 27 outs and we just couldn't do it,” said Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. “So that's what's disappointing about it. And we couldn't score in the 10th inning, and they put pressure on us. It’s another one that we did let get away. We’ve got a lot of baseball [left]. We’ve just got to keep bouncing back. This team has done it, and we've got to keep doing it with these tough losses.”

Bochy added that Smith will remain being used in high-leverage situations, especially with Leclerc’s struggles this season causing a shakeup in the backend of the bullpen.

Four Rangers relievers have had save opportunities this season: Smith (5), Leclerc (3), Jonathan Hernández (1) and Ian Kennedy (1). Friday’s loss was Smith’s first blown save, but Leclerc has blown two and Hernández and Kennedy have each blown one.

“He made some mistakes [tonight],” Bochy said. “The last one to tie the game was on a hanging breaking ball and it just got away from him. He's had so much experience out there in situations like that. I did put him through a tough part of the lineup, but sometimes you give them credit. They battled and found a way to tie the game against a good pitcher.

“He has the most experience and has closed a lot of games," added Bochy. "With José and his struggles, you have to adjust so you go with the guy with the most experience, and he's been doing a pretty good job.”

What makes the loss even worse is that the bullpen collapse once again wasted an elite performance from a starting pitcher. Dane Dunning, pitching in deGrom's spot in the rotation, tossed five scoreless against the Angels. He allowed just four baserunners: two hits, a walk and an error.

Dunning was pushed down the Rangers' rotation depth chart this offseason and has excelled with his move to the bullpen, entering Friday’s start with a 1.77 ERA through 20 1/3 innings of relief work.

“It's just frustrating to lose a game in general,” Dunning said. “Will has been phenomenal for us, and he's kicking himself right now. He's an unbelievable pitcher with really good stuff. It was just one of those days. It just got away at the end and kind of eluded us. We should be able to bounce back tomorrow.”

Dunning added that while it’s a disappointing loss, he’s confident in the bullpen's ability to bounce back and return tomorrow ready to go.

“We all try to pull from the same direction,” he said. “We try to do the best we can. It's just certain scenarios, teams get hot in the right moments and the momentum kind of sways and they just kind of bite down. We need to be able to finish it. Out of the bullpen, it's been really good vibes. Everyone's been working really hard to try to do the best they can to win, and that's all we can ask.”