Detroit, rock(ed) city: Tigers blank Rangers, who extended their scoring drought to three games - The Dallas Morning News

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DETROIT — Manager Chris Woodward issued a casting call this weekend.

With eyes wide open, he’s now on the search for fight, or grit, as he calls it, from his last-place Rangers. When he finds it, the discovery won’t necessarily be determined by the scoreboard.

“I think outcome is probably last,” Woodward said before Monday’s game about what he’s looking for. “I want to win, there’s no question about that. I want us to perform well, I want us to have great outcomes every time we go out there. I think it’s more attitude. I think it’s the response. When you get your butt kicked like that, how do you respond?”

The answer: not well. And Woodward made it clear it’s not good enough.

Before Monday the Rangers had never fallen victim to three straight shutouts, but the Tigers changed that, beating Texas 14-0. Miguel Cabrera had 5 RBIs, stretched a double into a three-bagger and even ran through a stop sign to jog home on a short sacrifice fly. Akil Baddoo had four RBIs, including a two-run home run in the third.

The Rangers have now been outscored 39-2 since the All-Star Break against the Blue Jays and Tigers. The only scoring production over that span: an Eli White two-run homer in the ninth inning on Friday.

“If you’re OK with what just happened, you don’t belong on the field with us,” Woodward said, adding a third straight shutout was embarrassing. “You don’t belong in our organization. At some point we have to look in the mirror and say, this isn’t acceptable.”

The loss stretched their losing streak to six, tying the season’s longest.

It was Kyle Gibson’s second straight loss. Before his July 7 start against the Tigers he was undefeated with a 1.98 ERA. After eight earned runs Monday, his ERA now stands at 2.86.

Gibson called his performances vs. the Tigers “puzzling,” and something he’ll need to review in film to find the answer.

“I think the last two starts against the Tigers haven’t been a representation of where my stuff’s at,” he said.

The total outcome, in every sense, wasn’t great for a team that’s now 35-59. And Woodward understands what that says about the status of his team.

“When you’re not hitting and you’re not pitching, it always looks like you don’t have much fight,” Woodward said in Monday’s pregame media session. “But it’s in there, trust me.”

There weren’t many chances to see it on Monday. The Rangers didn’t have a hit until a Brock Holt single to lead off the top of the fourth. It was 6-0 through five, after a Cabrera bases-clearing extra base hit, and then the Tigers added seven more runs in the sixth, making the reality of the last four games weigh heavy.

Tigers starter Casey Mize was on a pitch-count limit and only threw four innings. The Detroit bullpen took care of the rest.

The Rangers went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position against the Blue Jays, which was one way Woodward was able to quantify grit. Texas went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position on Monday.

Rookie catcher Jonah Heim launched a ball toward right field that looked like it would put the Rangers on the board, but it cruelly slid in front of the foul pole and out of play.

In this case, the outcomes are undeniable, and it was that way before Monday’s game.

“We stunk last series,” veteran infielder Charlie Culberson said before Monday’s loss. “As a team we haven’t done great this year, obviously, looking at our record. At some point you have to look at yourself and be like, ‘I don’t want to be complacent with where I’m at and what I’m doing.’

“But there’s still guys behind us trying to take our jobs. At any point in time someone up there could come up and take our job.”

And ultimately those decisions are based on outcomes that continue to build and build on each other, like the Rangers have done in the worst way since the start of the All-Star Break. Woodward referenced a standard of production for his players multiple times in Monday’s pregame media session. By the end of the night he made it clear that the futures of some players on the team are at stake.

Woodward said he knows his team is putting in effort, but there’s still a level of what he called “fire” that’s missing from the team right now, aside from one player.

After the game Woodward said he went up to All-Star outfielder Joey Gallo and shook his hand. Gallo went 0-for-3, but he had two outfield assists. That was the type of grit Woodward said he was searching for in his team, but one player — especially one that could attract a tantalizing trade proposal before the July 31 deadline — isn’t enough.

“My message to them is this is an important year for them,” Woodward said. “This is an important stretch for a lot of these guys. Their futures are on the line with our team. I hate to say it, but it’s reality.”

The casting call, internally and perhaps externally, continues.

Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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