If only there were more innings like the fifth inning of last night’s game. If only there was this much fight in the Rangers all season. If only Cal Quantrill would have been in the rotation from the beginning. This could be a very different conversation.

Quantrill was dominating once again. Six innings, three runs, picking up his eighth W of the year to a 2.89 ERA, by far the best in the Rangers rotation. They expect to win when he takes the ball.

The only blemish was a misplaced fastball to Mariners rookie Lazaro Montes in the bottom of the fourth, which he deposited deep into the centerfield bleachers. Quantrill had made a few other errant pitches but go away with them. Not this one. It tured a 4-0 Rangers lead into a 4-3 game, and gave the Mariners renewed hope.

Then the top of the fifth came. Ezequiel Duran led off with a walk. Brandon Nimmo, who has been on fire lately, struck out. Then Wyatt Langford, who hasn’t been on fire lately, homered to left center. 6-3. After an Evan Carter strikeout, Jake Burger walked, Nicky Lopez was hit by a pitch, then Danny Jansen put the game way with a home run of his own to left center. 9-3. A five-run fifth after the Mariners had just threatened to steal the victory in the previous inning.

In the end, the Rangers won 10-6 to kick off their six-game road trip with a victory. Unfortunately, the team ahead of them in the West—the Houston Astros—won, as did the two teams ahead of them in the wildcard—the Cleveland Guardians and Toronto Blue Jays. 

That’s what happens when you are playing from behind with only a handful of games left and, in the case of the wildcard, have two teams to leapfrog. You cannot expect all the teams ahead of you to lose. 

All you can do is hope there are enough Cal Quantrill starts the rest of the season and enough five-run innings the rest of the season to chip away. Because there had certainly been enough of the opposite.

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