Forum ChaOdisiaque

The Texas Rangers took full advantage after a changed call. A misplayed flyball only made things worse for the San Diego Padres.

Robinson Chirinos drove in the first of five runs Texas scored in a decisive sixth inning on the next pitch after it appeared he had struck out Corey Perry Jersey , and right fielder Hunter Renfroe was charged with an error on the next play as the Rangers rallied for a 7-4 win Monday night.

There were two runners and Chirinos had two strikes when he had a foul tip. Home plate umpire Tony Randazzo initially indicated he was out, and it looked like catcher Austin Hedges had secured the ball in the mitt that kicked up dirt when he reached down.

But was changed to a foul ball after the umpires got together to discuss the play.

�From my vantage point, our dugout, we saw dirt fly, which seem to indicate that the ball hit the ground,� said Rangers manager Jeff Banister, who said the umps got together on their own.

Padres manager Andy Green obviously had a much different view.

�Yeah, it’s frustrating. They missed it. I think it’s obvious when you see the film that they missed it,� Green said. �It’s a frustrating overturn on an obvious call. We had chances, though. We had some plays we could have made that we didn’t make. It’s one of those innings that flat out got away from us.�

After Chirinos’ got Texas within 4-2, Ronald Guzman then hit the deep flyball misplayed by Renfroe, who drifted to the ball on a windy night into the right-center cutout. Guzman wound up at second on the error and was credited with a sac fly. Delino DeShields and Choo followed with consecutive RBI singles, and Elvis Andrus added a sac fly.

�You’ve got to be mentally tough enough to bounce back from it and make a better pitch than what I made,� said Craig Stammen (4-1).

Choo extended his career-best on-base streak to 38 games with three hits, including that tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth. Chirinos had an RBI double in the seventh.

San Diego (35-46) reached the midpoint of its season by losing for the eighth time in nine games. The Rangers (35-45), who play their 81st game Tuesday night, have won eight of nine.

Tony Barnette (2-0) retired all three batters he faced after Manuel Margo and Jose Pirela homered off Rangers starter Cole Hamels. Keone Kela worked the nine for his 19th save, the most in the majors without a blown chance and matching the longest season-opening span in team history.

�Being able to see what the team was able to do when you put them a little behind, they were able to battle,� Hamels said. �When you’re winning Youth Derek Grant Jersey , everybody’s happy, and you can move on to the next day.�

GOING DEEP

Margo’s three-run homer in the fifth was his second homer in as many days, and his third overall. His only other homer this season came April 5. … Pirela went deep to start the sixth for a 4-1 lead and chase Hamels.

BEING CAUTIOUS

San Diego starter Joey Lucchesi allowed only one hit over four scoreless innings. But the lefty was limited to 70 pitches in only his second start after being out more than a month because of a right hip strain.

�You’re managing a guy’s career as much as you are a baseball game,� Green said. �To me, wasn’t quite stretched out enough to send him back out there for the fifth inning.�

SHORT HOPS

The Padres had allowed five runs or fewer in their 14 previous road games, a club record. … It was the 10th time in Hamels’ 16 starts this season that Texas scored no more than one run while the lefty was on the mound.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: Green said an MRI on the pitching elbow of RHP Jordan Lyles showed that he does just have inflammation. Lyles was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday after feeling discomfort while warming up. Lyles will rejoin the team in Texas, but won’t start throwing again before the weekend.

Rangers: Guzman left in the sixth and went into MLB concussion protocol. His head struck the knee of third baseman Christian Villanueva when diving back on an attempted pickoff by Hedges. �It was very evident when we got out there, just his words, kind of the symptoms that he gave us,� Banister said. … RF Nomar Mazar left with tightness in his left hamstring after an infield single in the eighth. Banister described that as �pretty precautionary.�

UP NEXT

Padres right-hander Tyson Ross (5-5), who received no run support in his last two starts, faces the team he pitched for last year. Ross was 3-3 with a 7.71 ERA in 12 games in his only season with the Rangers after previously being with San Diego from 2013-16.

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Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead has to put together a complicated puzzle this offseason.

And he still isn’t sure whether All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s contract extension will be the first or last piece to fall into place for the surprising NFC West champions.

Negotiating with Donald is the highest-profile task awaiting Snead, who will also have to address uncertainty in the secondary, if he will use the franchise tag on wide receiver Sammy Watkins, and whether to cut players such as linebacker Mark Barron and wide receiver Tavon Austin.

�That’s the biggest piece of the puzzle is, all right, how do we stay in this window where we expect to compete for a division, expect to win the division. And we do have a young team so it is sustainable, but it’s solving that riddle,� Snead said Wednesday.

The Rams spent much of their efforts last offseason trying to address their struggling offense Authentic Stephen Johns Jersey , hiring Sean McVay as head coach and bringing in established veterans including left tackle Andrew Whitworth, center John Sullivan and wide receivers Robert Woods and Watkins to assist quarterback Jared Goff.

Those efforts were more successful than Snead could have imagined, finishing as the top scoring offense in the league this season after ranking last the previous season.

Los Angeles went 11-5, with the franchise earning its first division title since 2003, before losing to the Atlanta Falcons 26-13 in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday.

Snead said the emphasis in the upcoming months will now be on defense, including trying to finalize a new contract with Donald. Donald held out of training camp in hopes of getting that deal and didn’t report to the team until one day before the regular season started.

Still, he finished with 15 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in 14 games, solidifying his status as the game’s dominant interior lineman.

Snead and Donald’s representatives both agreed to stop negotiating during the season. There is no timetable for an agreement, but even a basic framework of what will likely be the richest contract for a defender in NFL history would give Snead the ability to respond accordingly in other areas.

�Like I’ve always said with Aaron, hey, we want him to be a Ram a long time,� Snead said. �So when we ink that deal, or not, I can’t put a timeline on it, but it is a major priority, as it always will be until we get it done. And for Aaron’s sake, and for doing business, with our other players as well because that contract obviously will affect basically your salary cap.�

While Donald will almost certainly remain the anchor up front for a long time, there are fewer guarantees at defensive back. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson has played the past two seasons under the franchise tag, and starting safety Lamarcus Joyner and slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman are unrestricted free agents.

Cornerback Kayvon Webster Youth Tyler Pitlick Jersey , one of the few significant signings on defense last offseason, is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.

Snead held off on committing to Johnson on a long-term basis before seeing how he would fit in defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ system.

Snead said making sure a player can thrive in a specific scheme is a must before committing big money. Johnson played well with 57 solo tackles, 14 passes defended and two interceptions.

�They definitely have to be ideal scheme fits, or I always call it you’re putting a rectangle in a square and I think that’s how things get a little off-kilter when you’re building a team,� Snead said.

There could also be turnover at linebacker, where Barron and edge rusher Robert Quinn could be cut to avoid significant salary-cap hits.

The same might be true for Austin, who had 13 receptions for 47 yards and ran for 270 yards and one touchdown. Austin fell behind Woods, Watkins and rookie Cooper Kupp in the rotation after being limited by a hamstring injury in training camp.

If the 2013 first-round pick were to go, it could increase the likelihood Watkins remains with Los Angeles.

Watkins led the Rams with eight touchdown receptions in the final season of his rookie contract after being acquired in a trade from Buffalo in August.

Watkins could be one of the top options in a relatively weak group of free-agent receivers, making him a potential option for the franchise tag.

�The goal is to make sure we can fit everybody into the budget,� Snead said. �Because sometimes saving money, that kind of means we’re attacking an individual player just to save money.

�But it’s really looking at the budget, the cap situation for this year, and the cap situation for next year, and the next. Then we go `18, how do we improve and then keep the core together? So, it’s not necessarily looking at just salaries.�

NOTES: Defensive tackle Michael Brockers is not expected to require surgery for the knee injury he sustained against the Falcons, Snead said.

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