Aug 12, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Josh Smith (8) squares around to bunt during the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Field. / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
Momentum continues to be elusive for the Texas Rangers as they lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-2, on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
The Rangers (61-60) fresh off an extra-innings, walk-off win on Monday, saw their offense falter again, as they were limited to one hit in the final six innings of the game and were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
The Diamondbacks (58-62) hit back after squandering a 6-1 lead on Monday and needed their own heroics from one of their top sluggers in the ninth inning to put them in position to win the series on Wednesday afternoon. Here are three thoughts on the game.
The Rangers offense has been hot and cold all season. But there's been a pattern of late -- early offense followed by a long stretch of inactivity. Texas was hit by that once again on Tuesday night against Arizona.
Texas scored a run in the second and the third inning to take a 2-1 lead. In the second the Rangers did strand a runner. In the third, Texas had the bases loaded with no one out and only scored one run. That's been a batter too -- an inability to put up a crooked number with the bases loaded. Texas' only run was on a Marcus Semien sacrifice fly.
Then the bats went cold. Texas had one hit in the final six innings of the game. That was a Kyle Higashioka double in the seventh. The game was tied 2-2, but the Rangers couldn't get him home. Sam Haggerty struck out as a pinch-hitter and Corey Seager grounded out. Another chance squandered.
Monday's heroics aside, the offense remained what it's been for the past several games -- an offense in a funk trying to find any way to break out. It seems every time the offense shows signs of life lately, they dissipate the next game -- or sometimes even the next inning.
For the most part, Danny Coulombe has been terrific since he arrived in Texas from Minnesota at the trade deadline. But even the left-hander is going to make the occasional mistake. His came in the ninth inning.
Facing Arizona's dangerous Ketel Marte, he wasn't crafty enough to get an 80 mph sweeper by him. Positioned inside and down but in a hittable area for Marte, he clobbered his 22nd home run of the season into the second deck in left field and an estimated 445 feet. It was the first home run Coulombe gave up this season.
Two pitches before that, Coulombe set that sweeper up with a 90 mph fastball that was low and out of the zone but called a strike. His first pitch was also low for a ball and in that area, too. This was a case of Coulombe going to that location one too many times. His sweeper is good, but not that good when it keeps going to the same location.
The progress of Jack Leiter is important to the future of the franchise. The 2021 first-round pick must be a solid piece of this rotation, at minimum, if it hopes to control costs when it comes to its starting pitching the next several years. Tuesday represented a bit of progress.
First, he limited the walks. He only issued two free passes after giving up four walks in his last start against the New York Yankees. Walks have been an issue for him. Giving up two walks in five innings is acceptable.
Second, he pitched five innings. In his previous two starts he didn't pitch the fifth inning. Against the Yankees he only pitched 3.1 innings due to the walks. In the start before that he went 4.1 innings.
Third, he only gave up one big hit, and it was a big one -- a third-inning home run by Arizona's Blaze Alexander. He scattered the remaining four hits and struck out three as he trimmed his ERA to 3.94. It was an encouraging outing as the Rangers need to get more length out of him than he's shown of late.