ARLINGTON, Texas _ Tyler Alexander became the second former TCU left-hander to start a game this season against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park, where he took the mound Friday night for the Detroit Tigers.
The left-hander was nearly out of the sixth inning, but an error extended the frame and led to his departure. Alexander, who went to Southlake Carroll High before heading to Fort Worth, allowed four runs on 10 hits in his fourth MLB start as the Rangers defeated the Tigers 5-4.
"It was pretty cool, yeah," Alexander said. "I grew up going to these games, sitting in the stands. I got to play a high school scrimmage on this field when I was a freshman. I hadn't been on this field since, so it was pretty cool being back."
The other ex-Frogs pitcher to return to Tarrant County is Alex Young, who beat the Rangers last month for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He brought along former TCU first baseman Kevin Cron, who played two games at DH for the D'backs.
Young, though, fared better.
The four players who landed on the Texas Rangers' roster Friday aren't total strangers.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jose Trevino already made their MLB debuts. Scott Heineman was the Rangers' Minor League Player of the Year last season. Emmanuel Clase has been talked about for the past two months while blowing hitters away at Double A Frisco.
But the Rangers are essentially giving each of them a fresh look the final two months while expecting them to help lift the club.
Yes, that goes for Kiner-Falefa, who spent the first three months of the season at catcher. He's an infielder again, and is as pleased as (Hawaiian) punch.
He had a single in his return to the Rangers as their third baseman. Heineman collected the first two hits of his MLB career as the center fielder.
"I think it was the quality of the at-bats I was impressed with," manager Chris Woodward said.
Trevino will start a game this weekend. He's young, so he might get to sweat it out Sunday afternoon. Everyone wants to see Clase's big right arm, so look for him this weekend, too.
The Rangers are 1-0 with the quartet on their roster. The newcomers aren't going to play every day, though Kiner-Falefa will play more often than not. But they will take playing time away from more established players, except for Clase in a bullpen full of rookies.
That's the plan, which also includes winning. That concept seems a bit more perilous than it did 48 hours ago, though an argument can be made that the Rangers are a better team.
They should be better defensively with Kiner-Falefa and Trevino. They are more versatile. There's also the thought that some eager young players might provide a needed August spark.
"These guys will hopefully be hungry and we can snowball it into some wins," Woodward said.
It's not like they won some kind of lottery. They earned their roster spots through strong performances, and Kiner-Falefa showed last season that he can be a capable big-league infielder.
The major leagues will test him, though not as much as the others. The Rangers want to see all of it.
"I'm excited to see what this team can do," Woodward said.
