ARLINGTON, Texas _ This comes as no huge surprise but the Texas Rangers starting rotation has been less than reliable through the first five games.
Only one starter has made it through five innings and he still surrendered seven earned runs.
Shelby Miller, making his first start Tuesday night against the Houston Astros, didn't make it out of the fourth and was gone after 32/3 innings in a 2-2 game. His pitch count ballooned to 88 with five walks and he left with two runners on in the fourth before reliever Jesse Chavez struck out Carlos Correa looking to escape the jam.
The Rangers starting rotation has the second-highest ERA in the American League and the bullpen has carried a heavy burden early with at least 31/3 innings of work in each of the first five games.
But the bullpen has been sturdy enough to make up for the rotation's shortcomings, as it was against Tuesday in the 6-4 win over the Astros.
Opening Day starter Mike Minor (0-1), who went four innings against the Cubs on Thursday, faces Astros' lefty Gerrit Cole (0-1) in series finale at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday.
Houston ace Justin Verlander also struggled with command and left after four innings and 94 pitches. He walked three and allowed four runs on six hits, including a two-run homer from Asdrubal Cabrera that tied it at 2-2 in the second inning. Verlander failed to go at least five innings only once in 2018. His four innings on Tuesday is his shortest outing against Texas since May 16, 2013, when he left after 22/3 with the Tigers.
After the Astros reclaimed a 3-2 lead in the fifth, the Rangers took it right back with RBI singles from Elvis Andrus and Nomar Mazar in the bottom of the inning. Doubles from Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa tied it again at 4 in the sixth.
Joey Gallo's two-run single in the seventh gave the Rangers a 6-4 lead as the Texas bullpen held up to preserve the win and even the series. Chris Martin induced a 6-4-3 double play to pitch a scoreless eighth. Shawn Kelly took over for Chavez and threw 11/3 scoreless relief. Jose Leclerc pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the save.
Andrus and Shin-Soo Choo both had two hits each, including a double and triple from Choo.
