Rangers' Will Smith: Struggles again Monday
Smith (1-5) blew a save and took the loss against the Diamondbacks on Monday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and one walk over two-thirds of an inning.
There may be some noise around the fact that Texas manager Bruce Bochy elected to go to Aroldis Chapman rather than Smith with the Rangers up 1-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, though Chapman was unable to seal the deal. When the Rangers took a two-run lead in the top of the 11th, Smith got his save opportunity after all, but he also blew it, allowing back-to-back two-out doubles to allow three runs to cross the plate. It's been a rough stretch of late for the veteran reliever, as he's posted a 15.19 ERA, 2.25 WHIP and two blown saves over his past seven outings. Chapman, by contrast, has allowed just one run while registering a 19:3 K:BB over 10 innings through 10 appearances in August, so Monday's developments may be more than just a one-game thing, though there's been no official word of Smith moving out of the closer role.
