ARLINGTON, Texas _ The Texas Rangers' offense is supposed to be good enough to keep it interesting in 2018, especially with all of the questions surrounding the pitching staff.
Through four games against the Houston Astros, however, that offense was mostly flat.
Particularly, the bottom half of the order was rendered nearly catatonic in the series.
The Rangers' Nos. 7-9 hitters combined to go 2 for 38 with 19 strikeouts and three RBIs in the series.
Elvis Andrus, who leads the club with seven hits, has more hits than nine other Rangers players combined, including Robinson Chirinos, Ryan Rua, Drew Robinson and Rougned Odor and Nomar Mazara.
Chirinos, Mazara, Robinson, Odor and Rua combined to strike out 20 times, including eight times in Sunday's 8-2 loss to the Astros at Globe Life Park. Rangers hitters' struck out 40 times in the series.
"The season just started and we faced four really good pitchers," said Andrus, who is 7 of 13 with two RBIs and four runs scored. "We'll talk about it and try to have a better plan and better idea out there but it's still too early to panic out there."
True, it's early, of course, and the Rangers were facing a couple of Cy Young winners against the Astros. But the injury to Delino DeShields suddenly forces manager Jeff Banister to reshuffle his lineup for at least the next month.
The Rangers open a four-game series in Oakland on Monday night.
Astros' starter Gerrit Cole was superb Sunday. He earned the win after holding the Rangers to one run on two hits over seven innings. He struck out 11. Joey Gallo's solo homer in the first was about his only mistake of the day.
"That was the first time ever facing him for a lot of our guys, that's always tough," said Gallo, who had two hits of the Rangers' four hits Sunday, including a shift-beating single through a wide open left side of the infield. "He's got great stuff. He's not a normal No. 4 guy, he's a No. 1. So it was a tough series for us facing those guys but it's over now."
The Astros outscored the Rangers 22-11 in the series. Houston's bottom three in the order combined for 10 hits and seven RBIs.
"It's a long season and you have to let yourself feel comfortable out there," Andrus said. "If you feel pressure right now after four games that's not the right thing to do. They know that. We just faced a tough-pitching team, a really good team, they're world champions. Don't panic, don't try to think too much. Relax today and get ready for tomorrow."
