ARLINGTON, Texas — It is tough to pull for power against Hyun-jin Ryu, according to Rangers manager Chris Woodward. That’s because his change-up is so good. When the ball is pulled, it’s usually on the ground.
So when Nick Solak uncorked a laser 404-foot shot into the second deck in left field on Wednesday, it was a good sign that his early-season slump might be waning.
“I know [Solak] usually thinks about right-center all the time,” Woodward said. “Hammer balls all over the field. But we needed that one.”
Solak’s home run put Texas up 1-0 in the second inning and was a key moment in the team’s 2-1 win at Globe Life Field.
Since starting the season with an RBI hit in his first at-bat, Solak had gone 0 for 14 before getting two hits on Tuesday night. Then, he hit the big shot on Wednesday, his first long ball of the season.
“It takes patience, resiliency, it takes all those things to fight through,” Solak said after the game. “I’ve always hit. At every level, throughout my entire career, I’ve hit. So I’m confident that I’m going to hit.”
It was his RBI and an RBI single from Leody Taveras that accounted for the offense. Taveras had struggled even more than Solak, starting the season 0 for 14 with 10 strikeouts. But he’s had two hits the last two days, and shown signs of life offensively.
The Rangers’ offense has been rolling for the most part as Texas starts the season 3-3. But bats like Solak’s have taken a little longer to get going.
He’s been entrusted in a key spot in the middle of the order — either batting fourth or fifth, surrounded by left-handers. The expectations are big, but he expects that of himself, too.
“I’m going to hit, so it’s just something that I kind of have to remind myself sometimes,” Solak said.
“Like everybody does at different stages of a season, of a career. But that’s what makes this game so fun.”
Briefly: The rematch between Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Rangers at Globe Life Field set for this weekend won’t get to take place after Tatis Jr. suffered a shoulder injury on Monday. In August of last season, Tatis hit a grand slam in the ninth inning with the Padres holding a seven-run lead. It was also a 3-0 count.
“I think there’s a lot of unwritten rules that are constantly being challenged in today’s game,” Woodward said after the game. “I didn’t like it, personally. You’re up by seven in the eighth inning; it’s typically not a good time to swing 3-0. It’s kind of the way we were all raised in the game.”
Woodward’s criticism of the phenom shortstop drew a lot of criticism across baseball.
— Woodward said it’s possible that third baseman Brock Holt could be placed on the injured list with a hamstring injury that he suffered on Tuesday night. Woodward said early on Wednesday that he hadn’t been evaluated yet, but is hopeful the off day on Thursday could help him get healthy.
— Rangers third baseman Charlie Culberson had his first two hits of the season. Reliever Matt Bush allowed his third home run in three appearances. Texas closer Ian Kennedy got his second save in as many days for the Rangers. He struck out three batters, and allowed one hit.
— The paid attendance was 16,876 people at Globe Life Field.
