ANAHEIM -- When the Rangers signed Michael Lorenzen to a one-year deal in late March, the right-hander was expected to soak up innings until the injured Texas starters returned.

Lorenzen debuted for Texas on April 15 in Detroit and tossed five scoreless innings, a sign of things to come. Heading into Wednesday’s start against the Angels, Lorenzen had a 3.21 ERA in 87 innings and pitched five or more in all but one start. However, the one glaring red flag was Lorenzen’s 11.4 percent walk rate that was not offset by a strong strikeout rate (17.7 percent).

On Wednesday, Lorenzen saw those walks come back to haunt him in a 7-2 Rangers loss that snapped Texas’ season-best five-game winning streak. Lorenzen -- an Anaheim native who pitched for his hometown Angels in 2022 -- allowed five runs, five hits and four walks in five innings in his first appearance back in Anaheim since ‘22.

Lorenzen said he felt like he’d been over-executing in the past few outings.

“When you have a game like that, you can reflect on what you need to do better and what needs to change,” he said. “It was just about overthrowing and that’s taken away from my pitch quality. Just stepping off the gas a little bit and knowing that 90-93 is good enough, especially if I’m using my whole pitch mix.”

Pitching mainly as a starter for the Tigers and the Phillies last season, Lorenzen tossed a career-high 153 innings and posted the second-best walk rate (7.5 percent) of his career. That improved command helped Lorenzen become a first-time All-Star with the Tigers and throw a no-hitter in his first home start with the Phillies.

Lorenzen ultimately pitched out of the bullpen for the Phils in the playoffs, but it still ended up being his best year since becoming a starter in ‘22 -- in no small part due to limiting fewer free passes. However, this season, Lorenzen’s walks have flared up again, putting him among the most allowed in the league.

Wednesday marked Lorenzen’s third consecutive start of at least four walks, with the righty allowing 13 walks over 15 innings in that span. With four more walks on Wednesday, Lorenzen’s walk rate ballooned to 11.9 percent, the second-highest among pitchers who’ve thrown at least 80 innings. Since debuting on April 15, Lorenzen’s 44 walks are the most in the Majors.

“I hate to lose, but sometimes it takes getting punched in the face like that to make a change,” Lorenzen said. “I’ll take that into the All-Star break, make that change and come back strong.”

Lorenzen’s command issues come at an interesting juncture for the Rangers, specifically regarding their starting pitching. Now 6 1/2 games behind the Mariners in the AL West and seven games behind the Red Sox for the final Wild Card spot, it’s unclear what direction the reigning World Series champions take at the Deadline.

Regardless of the Rangers' direction, they have a handful of injured starting pitchers who could find their way back soon. Tyler Mahle -- signed to a two-year, $22 million contract over the offseason -- made his second rehab start on Tuesday as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Bochy said Mahle will make his next start on Monday and things should ramp up after.

Jacob deGrom, who underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2023, threw a 30-pitch bullpen on Tuesday. Bochy said that deGrom hasn’t started throwing breaking balls yet and is “a ways away,” but the right-hander has been targeting an August return.

In other notable events, right-hander Daniel Robert made his MLB debut, allowing two runs in 1 2/3 innings and striking out the first hitter he saw.

The 29-year-old was selected in the 21st round of the 2017 Draft out of Auburn by the Rangers but didn’t throw a professional pitch until 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery shortly after being drafted.

Robert, a two-way player at Auburn, admitted being surprised to be drafted as a pitcher as he hadn’t become a full-time pitcher until 2019. After he suffered a broken arm as a 27-year-old in 2021 in High-A ball, doubts crept in about Robert lasting in pro ball. He returned later that year, continued progressing and found himself in this position on Wednesday.