Rangers see rotation highs and lows over 4-game set

ARLINGTON -- After 18 straight days with a game, the Rangers finally have a day off before heading to Houston for a three-game series that begins Tuesday. Texas ended the stretch with an 8-2 loss to the White Sox on Sunday at Globe Life Field to split the series.

Aside from a game that saw Nathaniel Lowe show out on both sides of the ball -- including a Statcast-projected 452-foot home run -- there wasn’t much working in Texas’ favor.

Here are a few takeaways from the weekend:

1. The pitching was good, but not great
Between Thursday and Sunday, there were some bright spots and some dim ones in the Rangers’ rotation.

Thursday:
No. 29 prospect Cole Ragans made his debut and took the no-decision in the Rangers’ 3-2 win. With Jon Gray on the IL, it opened up a spot for Ragans in the rotation. He pitched five innings Thursday without giving up an earned run, walked four and struck out three. He’s expected to pitch again in Thursday's finale against Houston’s Framber Valdez. Five innings is a small sample size, so it’s tough to say how much of a role he’ll play while Gray is recovering from a left oblique strain.

Friday and Saturday:
Glenn Otto and Dane Dunning pitched two of the better starts against the White Sox over the weekend. Though Otto took the loss in yet another one-run game on Friday, it was the first time since late May that he’d gone six innings with minimal damage.

Dunning, on the other hand, was dominant from the get-go. The right-hander pitched a 1-2-3 first inning, which set the tone for the rest of the game, as he’s struggled opening in the past. In one of the best outings of his career, Dunning pitched seven shutout innings to pick up his first win since April 30, snapping a 15-start winless streak.

Sunday:
Spencer Howard struggled with consistency and took his fourth loss of the season. The righty was pulled after 3 1/3 innings, giving up a season- and career-high eight hits that led to five earned runs. It was the second consecutive start that Howard gave up five or more runs in less than five innings.

“I felt the first inning, the execution was OK," Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. "The second inning, I mean, just from then on it was a lot of balls down the middle. He didn’t execute his pitches well."

2. Taylor Hearn might be best in relief
Yes, it’s been said before, but Hearn pitching out of the bullpen is looking better and better each outing. He’s seen success early in the game following an opener, and in the late innings, as well.

Hearn contributed to Dunning’s win on Saturday with two scoreless innings. He entered the game in the eighth and struck out the side with 14 pitches, then closed things out in the ninth to preserve the shutout.

As a starter this season, Hearn is 4-5 with a 6.25 ERA in 13 games. As a reliever, he’s 0-1 with a 1.17 ERA through five games and 15 1/3 innings.

“This year he had some decent starts, I just think in a shorter sample, in a smaller setting, he’s just more effective,” Woodward said. “We can always go back to maybe lengthen him out later on. But right now, he’s such a weapon.”

3. Meibrys Viloria is heating up
Sunday’s game aside, Viloria has provided a bigger presence at the plate in the month of August. Entering the finale, Viloria was 6-for-9 with a home run, a double, a walk and two RBIs through five appearances this month.

The six hits over five games was an improvement from the four hits he recorded in a combined 10 games through late June and July. With the way he’s been playing, Woodward said Viloria could possibly see more time behind the plate to give catcher Jonah Heim a break every once in a while.

“I’ve talked to the staff a lot about that. I just think it might be a good little run to get Viloria in there while he’s hot,” Woodward said.