It was only a matter of time before the Rockies’ fragile, patchwork rotation gave way.
Time ran out Friday night at Globe Life Field where the Rangers dominated Colorado, 7-2.
Right-hander Karl Kauffmann, making his major league debut, blanked the Rangers for the first three innings and fanned four in the process. But the Rangers’ dangerous offense solved Kauffmann in the fourth inning and beat him up in the fifth.
Kauffmann walked Nathaniel Lowe to open the fourth, not wise with Adolis Garcia on deck. Garcia made Kauffmann pay with a two-run homer to right, his 14th homer of the season.
The Rangers’ five-run fifth was a messy affair for Colorado. Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar opened the inning by committing a throwing error to allow Leody Taveras to reach first. Marcus Semien then reached on a single and Corey Seager mashed a two-run double.
Right-hander Peter Lambert relieved Kauffmann and didn’t fare much better. He hit Garcia, then Josh Jung ripped a two-run double to left and Robbie Grossman banged an RBI single on a comebacker off Lambert’s glove. Texas’ 2-0 lead had grown to 7-0.
Kauffmann’s first major league line: 4 1/3 innings, five runs (four earned) on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
After a difficult fifth, Lambert settled in and ended up yielding two runs on three hits over 2 2/3 innings.
Colorado’s offense had been rolling in May, slashing .269/.333/.435, good for the sixth-highest average in the majors. But Rangers lefty Martin Perez pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out seven — six looking — and walked none.
The Rockies managed two runs in the sixth on doubles by Charlie Blackmon and Elias Dias and an RBI single by Randal Grichuk. Ryan McMahon, coming off a 4 for 29 homestand (.138), broke out of his lingering slump with a 3-for-4 night that included a double in the sixth.
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