The Texas Rangers handed the San Diego Padres a 22-2 loss at Surprise Stadium on Saturday in spring training play. Despite Jase Bowen's 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI effort at the plate, the Padres could not overcome a sizable deficit. Marco Gonzales worked 2.0 innings on the mound, allowing 10 earned runs on 8 hits. The Rangers out-hit the Padres 22-7 on the day. The loss is a minor bump as the Padres continue fine-tuning ahead of Opening Day. The exhibition season is about preparation, and today provided the kind of reps the coaching staff needs to see.
Key Performers
Jase Bowen was the offensive highlight at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. His power was on full display throughout the game. The Padres will be hoping for more of the same as the spring continues.
Bryce Johnson also contributed, going 2-for-3 with a double, Carlos Rodríguez chipped in, going 2-for-2, and Kasen Wells added to the attack, going 1-for-1. The Padres showed flashes of offense but could not piece together the big inning they needed.
On the other side of the diamond, Brandon Nimmo led the Rangers offense with a 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double, and four RBI day. Josh Smith also contributed, going 1-for-1 with a home run and five RBI. Ezequiel Duran added a 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, and four RBI effort as well. The Rangers offense proved to be too much for the Padres pitching staff to contain on this particular day.
On the Mound
Marco Gonzales took the loss after running into trouble, working 2.0 innings while allowing 10 earned runs on 8 hits with one strikeout. He threw 67 pitches in the outing. The coaching staff will review his performance as they continue mapping out the pitching plan for the regular season.
The bullpen combined for 4.6 innings of work, allowing 11 earned runs while striking out three. The Padres continue to sort through their relief options as they build their Opening Day bullpen. Every inning pitched in the spring is an opportunity for pitchers to make their case for a spot on the roster when the games start counting.
How It Happened
Rangers got on the board first with four runs in the first inning. Rangers plated a run in the second. The Padres answered with two runs in the third. Rangers responded with 13 runs in the third. Rangers pushed across two runs in the fifth. Rangers plated two runs in the sixth. The Rangers were able to score in five separate innings, keeping the pressure on throughout the contest. Rangers out-hit the Padres 22-7, with 1 error committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 6,301 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
Despite the result, the Padres will take the lessons learned from this game and move forward. Spring training is about preparation and evaluation, not wins and losses, and the coaching staff gained valuable information about the roster today. There is still time to make adjustments before the regular season begins, and games like this one are part of that process.
