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Texas Rangers’ Forecast: Increasing Cloudiness Following Second Consecutive Scoring Drought

ARLINGTON – Maybe the tomblike silence of the Rangers’ clubhouse late Monday night wasn’t caused by their loss to Oakland so much as how they lost.

Scott Feldman’s breakout season appeared headed to a new height. Could he throw his first career complete game? Another Ranger to record his first shutout?

That dramatically changed after five stellar innings when Feldman literally lost control and allowed eight of the next 12 batters to reach. The subject of him pitching beyond six was moot for a game.

Meanwhile, the Rangers’ hitting attack made journeyman Brett Tomko look like Cy Young candidate Felix Hernandez. A middle reliever with the Yankees to start the season, Tomko five-hit Texas for his first shutout in five years and extended the Rangers’ scoreless streak to 19 innings.

The 9-0 defeat to open the series leaves the Rangers six games behind the Angels in the A.L. West, dropping them 4.5 behind the Red Sox for the wild-card position and had manager Ron Washington evoking an unlikely analogy given the recent local weather: “Hopefully when we start putting more runs on the board, we can open up some floodgates.”

Feldman came into Monday night’s start having allowed only one run in four games. Through five innings, he needed only 60 pitches to hold Oakland to one base runner. He appeared to have the stuff for his eighth consecutive win and 17^th overall.

Suddenly, he couldn’t spot his pitches. The result – three doubles, two hits batters, a single and his only walk. The A’s continued their assault on relievers Jason Grilli and Warner Madrigal to score all nine runs in three innings.

If Feldman felt he had the bear down in the middle innings because his offense was struggling again or because of the lateness of the post-season race, he didn’t say so.

“There’s no added pressure – maybe added fun,” Feldman said. “We’re in the race here in September, and it’s new territory for a lot of guys. That doesn’t have anything to do with it.

“The only thing that really changed [starting in the sixth] was the location of my pitches was a little bit different. In that sixth inning … I think I gave up three doubles. All three of them were probably not the greatest of locations.”

The Rangers were shut out at Rangers Ballpark for the fifth time this season, a high for the 16-year-old park. In the 10 games since Josh Hamilton joined Michael Young in the infirmary, the Rangers are 5-5. During that same span, the Angels are 8-3, the Red Sox 7-3.

Pick your poison as the Angels spend the next three nights at Fenway before making their last trip to Texas.