Rangers unable to stop skid despite Carter's impressive debut

ARLINGTON -- Evan Carter built his reputation as the Rangers’ No. 1 and MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 prospect off his most impressive skill: patience at the plate.

In his debut at Globe Life Field, he stuck to that same approach that led him to a .413 OBP in the Minors this season, battling for his first big league hit in his first at-bat and a walk in his last plate appearance.

But on Friday night, the rest of the Rangers needed a little urgency. Facing a potential fourth straight loss and 16th defeat in its past 20 games, Texas had an opportunity to begin a turnaround with Carter’s much-anticipated debut and the arrival of last-place Oakland to town.

Instead, the Rangers continued their skid with a 6-3 loss to the Athletics, stranding 10 men on base in the first four innings to squander an opportunity to gain ground on American League West rivals Seattle and Houston, who both lost as well.

• Games remaining: vs. OAK (2); at TOR (4); at CLE (3); vs. BOS (3); vs. SEA (3); at LAA (3); at SEA (4)
• Standings update: The Rangers remain 2 1/2 games behind the Mariners, who are second in the AL West, and 3 games back of the first-place Astros. Texas fell to 1 1/2 games back of Toronto for the third AL Wild Card spot.

After Texas allowed a franchise-record 16 home runs in Houston's three-game sweep of the Rangers, starter Jordan Montgomery entered having given up home runs at the lowest rate of his career (0.87 HR/9). But the left-hander allowed a solo shot to Esteury Ruiz in the 4th and a 436-foot, two-run blast to Shea Langeliers in the 5th to turn a 3-2 lead into a 5-3 deficit.

Texas went a 20th consecutive game without a win from their starter, as a result.

The lineup almost gave Montgomery lots of run support and an easy chance to break the streak early. After Corey Seager’s two-run home run in the 1st inning, Carter led off the second with a sharp groundball single to right field and then stole second two batters later.

But the Rangers ended the second with the bases loaded and Carter 90 feet away from scoring his first big league run. Texas loaded the bases three times in its first four innings and stranded them each time.

“We didn’t take advantage of a guy who was struggling out there with his command,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “We did hit some balls hard with men on base. But [A’s starter Paul Blackburn] threw almost 90 pitches in three innings, and to get only two runs, that’s hard to explain.”

The loss of regular four-spot hitter Adolis García, who suffered a right patellar tendon strain on Wednesday and was placed on the 10-day injured list, was glaring. Bochy said García, who leads the team with 100 RBIs, is still being evaluated but “could be DH'ing sooner than we think” before Friday’s game.

In his place, Carter provided a spark. The 21-year-old’s discipline at the plate was challenged in his second and third at-bats with two close calls that resulted in called third strikes.

But Carter continued to trust his eye -- he earned the nickname “Full Count Carter” in the Minors for his penchant to work 3-2 counts -- and battled to his fourth two-strike count in four at-bats and drew a walk in the final one.

“I’m not going to change my approach,” Carter said. “If they execute a pitch, kudos to them. I’m going to stick with looking down the middle. I’m not going to chase, and that’s part of my strength. I don’t want to veer away from that now.”

Carter also flashed the other aspects of his game that made him an intriguing prospect, recording his first stolen base after his single and an outfield assist in the second.

“I couldn’t feel my legs in the first at-bat, but we got it out of the way,” Carter said. “I’m beyond blessed. My family’s here; my wife’s family was here. So it was really cool to share that with them.

“... I felt like I could run through a brick wall, to be honest, today.”