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Progress for Kolby Allard, despite a three-run first, as the Rangers dropped the series finale against the A's

Credit: Kelly Gavin/Texas Rangers

The Rangers were down three Thursday afternoon before they even swung a bat.

Oakland A’s hitters liked what they were seeing from Kolby Allard, the left-hander who has been trying to plant himself in the Rangers’ rotation since they acquired him in 2019.

Allard lasted five more innings, allowing only one more run, in a 5-1 Rangers loss. Four runs in six innings is … good?

Well, relatively so for Allard.

A three-run first might have ballooned on Allard in the past … as it did last season … against Oakland. He tossed a scoreless first inning Sept. 12 but didn’t record an out in the second while allowing six runs.

The difference? Experience. With that comes the ability to slow his mind down.

“For him to go six showed a lot of growth there,” manager Chris Woodward said. “I know in the past he's had trouble stopping the bleeding, and we had to get him out of the game. So, for today to have a rough first inning and then you go back and pitch really well the last five innings … he fought through it.”

Allard has pitched well this season, as his 3.32 ERA would suggest. He started the season as a reliever, but has made five starts. He’s striking out more hitters than in the past and walking fewer.

No wonder.

A sick feeling: The Rangers are cautiously rejoicing over the way left-hander Cole Ragans has pitched so far this season. The 2016 first-rounder, featured in the first post on this site, is 0-2 with a 3.22 ERA this season at High A Hickory.

More than looking at what he might be able to do for them in a year or two, they are thrilled that he’s pitching again after two Tommy John surgeries. The second one, president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said, made many in the organization sick to their stomachs.

Ragans, too. But in listening to him talk during the interview for the story, he’s in a great place.

He deleted his Twitter account because it was driving him crazy seeing who was drafted after him but was making their MLB debuts while he was stuck in the desert rehabbing.

He had hard days (who doesn’t?) but made it through. Pitching should be a piece of cake, at least mentally.

All-Star talk: Adolis Garcia told reporters that he isn’t thinking about the MLB All-Star Game next month in Denver. He was fourth in the latest ballot dump, but 100,000 votes out of third.

Nevertheless, he seems to be the Rangers player most likely to be selected to the Midsummer Classic. He’s not the most deserving Rangers candidate, however.

That’s right-hander Kyle Gibson, who has gone from a 135.00 ERA after his Opening Day disaster at Kansas City to 2.17 ERA nearly three months later.

Gibson’s next start, scheduled for Saturday, is against … Kansas City.

Ooooh, the suspense.

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