ARLINGTON -- The bullpen is sort of like an offensive line. At least that¡¯s how Rangers reliever Luke Jackson sees it.
¡°We always call ourselves the 'O-line group,'¡± Jackson said after securing a save in the Rangers¡¯ 5-2 win over the Rays on Friday at Globe Life Field. ¡°It's not the most praised, but it's highlighted a lot bigger when you lose games. Like when the whole team made a collective effort to win it all game, and then in one inning, late in the game, you blow it, and all the eyes come to you. There's a reason this game's a fickle, fickle, thing.¡±
There was a lot of turnover in the Rangers' bullpen this offseason.
By a lot, that means almost all. Six of Texas¡¯ eight bullpen arms on its Opening Day roster were acquired this offseason via free agency (Shawn Armstrong, Luke Jackson, Chris Martin, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb) or trade (Robert Garcia).
Despite a solid veteran presence in the additions, there were a lot of question marks throughout the bullpen coming into the year. And after Jackson himself shouldered the loss after giving up a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning on Opening Day, it seemed like the sky was falling on a rebuilt relief corps.
But not with this group.
¡°I don't know if you've ever seen my career, but on Opening Day, I've given up a grand slam and got nobody out,¡± Jackson said. ¡°I've given up five saves in a row. I think you just got to ride the wave with the ups and downs. I think the longer you're in the game, you realize the mental part is the hardest part.
¡°Once you figure out that, you gotta go out there and give it everything you got every single day. I believe in my stuff. I'm gonna go out there and give you 100%. It may not work out some days -- maybe the ball will squeak through the hole, or I'll give up a homer, or something will happen -- but I'm gonna leave it all out there.¡±
Although Armstrong allowed a pair of earned runs Friday night, the Rangers' bullpen has been as nails as you can ask for early this season.
The Rangers' scoreless streak came to an end after 25 innings in the win, dating back to the eighth inning of Monday night's game in Cincinnati. The starting pitching is obviously a big reason for that, including a shutout from Nathan Eovaldi on Tuesday, five scoreless innings from rookie Jack Leiter on Wednesday and another five scoreless from Tyler Mahle on Friday.
But the relievers have been just as important.
After the bullpen allowed two runs in the seventh inning on Friday, it got right back to business and shut down the Rays for the final two innings to secure the win thanks to scoreless outings from Martin, Garcia and Jackson.
¡°They¡¯ve done a really good job of picking each other up,¡± manager Bruce Bochy said of the bullpen. ¡°I said it would be a little fluid down there with how I used them. Martin came in there in the seventh and did his job. Of course, Garcia in the eighth gets a big double play. They're all going in, throwing strikes and doing their thing.¡±
After Friday¡¯s win, the six new additions had combined for a 3.00 ERA through the Rangers¡¯ first eight games. Texas now leads MLB with 13 holds this year and is tied for first with five saves. Additionally, the bullpen as a whole has pitched to a 1.93 ERA with 26 strikeouts and a .205 opponent's batting average in the club¡¯s six wins.
Even better is the trio of high-leverage arms doing their duty each and every time out. Jackson is tied for first in MLB with four saves. Garcia is tied for first in MLB with four holds. Martin has allowed just four hits and no runs through five innings, tallying one save and three holds.
¡°I think I¡¯m seeing what we were hoping to see from all three of those guys,¡± said catcher Kyle Higashioka. ¡°Those guys are really good. They're experienced. The stuff is really good. So I think as long as we're throwing strikes and keeping guys off balance and using all our pitches, I think we're gonna be good.¡±