ARLINGTON, Texas _ The possibility of right-hander Matt Harvey trying to kick-start his career with the Rangers increased on Monday.
There is an increasing need for him, or some other arm, on this club.
Left-hander Matt Moore struggled yet again, forcing the Rangers to rally for a 7-6 win against Detroit at Globe Life Park. It was only the third comeback win of the season for the Rangers.
In the sixth inning, they wiped out a four-run deficit created by Moore. In the seventh, they came back with two more runs for the win.
Moore allowed five runs in 52/3 innings overall. Moore has a 7.94 ERA in seven starts and has lasted as many as six innings once.
This continues a trend that began last season with San Francisco. In his last 38 starts, Moore is 7-19 with a 5.89 ERA. His teams, not surprisingly, are 12-26 in those games.
That could make the reclamation project of Harvey more appealing to the Rangers.
Harvey has been ineffective in recent seasons, and the New York Mets designated for assignment their former No. 1 starter after he rejected a minor-league assignment. There is at least a chance of Harvey returning to his past glories.
The die may be cast on Moore.
Banister insisted beforehand "it's still there" and recognized that Moore has had success in the past. That earns him more rope.
"Do you give him some breadth?" Banister said. "Yes. He threw the game at Tampa (Bay) where he looked good. He's had measureable success in the past, and the ingredients are there."
Even if Banister were ready to make a change, there are no immediate in-house options. Left-hander Martin Perez remains on the disabled list because of a fracture in the non-pitching elbow, and no minor-league pitcher is ready for a shot.
Moore was more effective when he got two strikes in a count. Before this game, opponents were hitting .317 against Moore with two strikes in the count. Detroit was 4-for-14 with one walk.
Two of the hits cost Moore.
With two outs in the third, former Ranger Leonys Martin doubled on a 1-2 curveball. He scored when Nicholas Castellanos singled on a 0-2 fastball. Detroit went up 3-0 in the inning.
Martin, a left-handed hitter, knocked out Moore with a two-run homer in the sixth. Martin smacked a first-pitch curveball to give the Tigers a 5-1 lead.
This three-game series represents a break for the Rangers from what has been a meat-grinder of schedule.
They have played 33 games against clubs that currently have winning records, most in the majors. Of the first 11 series, only one came against a club with a losing record: Tampa Bay.
Banister declined to blame the schedule for the Rangers' problems.
"Whether it's against the Red Sox, the Astros, the Yankees, every team in baseball is a tough team," Banister said. "We're going out and playing the game and trying to win. We need to get better."
The respite will be brief. After Detroit, the Rangers will play nine of the next 11 series against clubs that currently have winning records.
Delino DeShields played an integral part to the two big late innings by the Rangers.
He started the sixth with a walk and scored the first of four two-out runs in the inning. In the seventh, DeShields scored from first when Shin-Soo Choo's two-out grounder kicked off the glove of second baseman Dixon Machado in shallow right, and he could not flag down the ball in time.
Jurickson Profar followed with a liner that split the right-center gap for a triple and the lead.
