Dane Dunning pitched the Rangers into the seventh inning, giving them their first quality start in nine games and just their fifth in the last 22.
Everything on the pitching side works hand in hand. If the rotation isn’t pulling it’s weight, the strain on the bullpen, the team’s biggest weakness all year, is only greater. Conversely: Get innings from the starters and, in close games, Bochy can pick and choose his relief options a little better.
With consecutive wins by comfortable margins, the Rangers were also able to give Will Smith, Aroldis Chapman and José Leclerc an extra day off. Each of them had at least two days off going into Tuesday night’s game with Toronto. It set the bullpen up well to contribute in a must-win series.. He struck out six in relief of Jon Gray on Sunday.“It does a lot for the bullpen,” Bochy said. “We’re set up to help the starters a little bit better. It’s good to have that coverage.
The sinker is Dunning’s best pitch, but when he pushes the use of it above 40%, he seems to get a little predictable. It’s happened four times this season, including his most recent outing against Houston. In those games: He’s allowed opponents a .329 batting average with 16 walks and an 8.55 ERA in 20 innings. When he keeps it below 40% as a starter: A 2.87 ERA, a .244 opponents average and just 2.11 walks per nine innings.
“I felt like I had command of all my pitches,” said Dunning, who threw the sinker 39 times in 102 pitches and backed it up with a slider , cutter and changeup . “I was just going out there trying to get the ball rolling.”
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