Wednesday newsletter time: One Rangers error was one too many in loss to Rockies

(AP photo/David Zalubowski)

Defensive woes are part of the reason why Tony Beasley is serving as Rangers interim manager and Chris Woodward is unemployed.

The mistakes weren’t going to get better overnight, but one of the goals in making the change at manager was to clean those things up ahead of 2023.

The Rangers were fortunate Saturday that their miscues didn’t cost them at Minnesota. But one error in particular Tuesday cost them.

Shortstop Corey Seager booted a grounder to start the seventh inning, and C.J. Cron followed later in the inning with a two-out three-run homer that lifted Colorado to a 7-6 victory at Coors Field.

Marcus Semien started the game with a home run, and Nate Lowe followed two batters later with a two-run shot. The Rangers were up 3-0 after three batters and would take a 6-3 lead in the sixth inning. The Rockies got one back in their sixth before Cron’s opposite-field homer in the seventh off of Brock Burke.

All three runs were unearned.

“We didn’t take care of the ball,” Beasley said. “I think that’s what cost us tonight.”

The Rangers entered Tuesday tied for second for most errors in the American League, and that doesn’t include plays they haven’t made. It doesn’t include the toll an error can have on a starter’s pitch count and how deep he can go in a game.

Seager has 16 errors on the season, second-most in the majors by a shortstop.

He’s not the only player making costly mistakes. The Rangers are very good defensively in the outfield and at catcher, but they can be better in the infield and on the mound.

They need to be better.

Garcia keeps going

Adolis Garcia extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a two-hit night and also stole his 20th base of the season to become the first player in the majors this season to reach 20 homers and 20 steals.

He will soon be joined by Semien, whose homer Tuesday was his 20th. He has 19 steals.

Garcia is tracking toward a better season than he had last year, even though he will have to really step on the gas to match his 2021 homer total (31). But he should finish with more walks and fewer strikeouts, and though differences might not amount to much statistically, it’s a big difference in terms of his development.

It’s easy to lose track of the fact that this is his second full MLB season. The same goes for Lowe, who has set a career-high in home runs (19) and could reach 25. He’s also flirting with .300, and no Rangers player has hit .300 since 2017.

Jung watch

Josh Jung is coming to the major leagues … at some point the rest of this season. The Rangers have determined that, and their hope is that once he comes up he never goes back to the minor leagues.

General manager Chris Young said last week that Jung is being counted on as a lineup upgrade for 2023, and the Rangers want to make sure he is completely and totally prepared for that … whatever that entails.

Jung was not promoted Tuesday, when he played third base for Triple A Round Rock and saw his 28-game Triple A hitting streak, which dated to last season, snapped. Playing on Tuesday almost certainly means he won’t be promoted Wednesday as the Rangers play a day game at Colorado.

So, the earliest he makes his MLB debut is Friday to open a three-game home series against Detroit. If he doesn’t debut this weekend, look next at Tuesday against Houston.

It gets murky after that. Ideally, the Rangers want Jung to debut at home. That’s not just the business side but the baseball side as well.

The Rangers hit the road Sept. 1 and won’t be home again until Sept. 9. Waiting that long just seems unfair, especially if Jung continues to produce at Round Rock.

Doggy video!

When the kids know you really mean business this time. Enjoy. See you Thursday.

“I don’t say it again.. Get back in!” 😅 pic.twitter.com/Cq8uLCbjwS

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) August 20, 2022

Jeff Wilson, jeff@rangerstoday.com