Rangers fall to Padres 3-2 on July 5, 2025, after Jake Cronenworth's walk-off single in the 10th spoils a solid start. Read how Texas lost another heartbreaker.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
If it feels like you've seen this movie before, you're not alone. For the fourth time in their last nine games, the Texas Rangers battled into extra innings only to come up short, suffering a gut-wrenching 3-2 walk-off loss to the San Diego Padres on Saturday night. A promising start and an early lead dissolved into another frustrating night as Jake Cronenworth's single in the bottom of the 10th sent Rangers fans home with a familiar feeling of what could have been.
The Rangers have now gone to extra innings six times in their last nine games, losing four of them.
It all started so well. The Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning thanks to a clutch two-out, two-run double from Marcus Semien that scored Josh Smith and Corey Seager. But the lead felt precarious. A mammoth 440-foot solo shot from Manny Machado in the fourth cut the lead in half, and the Padres scraped across the tying run in the sixth. After a tense stalemate, the game unraveled in the 10th. With the bases loaded and two outs, Jake Cronenworth laced a single to right off Robert Garcia, scoring the automatic runner and sealing another walk-off win for San Diego.
The brightest spot in a tough loss was the continued emergence of Kumar Rocker. Making just his fourth start since being recalled, the 25-year-old right-hander was solid, navigating 5.1 innings while allowing just two runs on four hits. He kept the powerful Padres lineup mostly in check, striking out four. This outing continues a stellar stretch for Rocker, who has now surrendered a mere six earned runs over his last 21.2 innings. While he didn't get the win, his steady presence is a massive positive for a rotation that needs it.
While Rocker did his job, the loss once again shines a harsh spotlight on the team's biggest weakness: the bullpen's inability to lock down close games. Saturday marked the eighth time this season the Rangers have lost a game where their starting pitcher left with the lead or in a tie situation. This recurring issue in high-leverage spots, particularly in extra innings, is turning what should be a tight playoff race into a frustrating grind. The offense isn't blameless, but the inability to close the door is costing the team dearly.
The beauty of baseball is that redemption is always just a day away. The Rangers have a chance to salvage the series finale tomorrow and head to Anaheim on a positive note. All eyes will be on Jack Leiter (4-5, 4.29 ERA) as he takes the mound against Padres righty Stephen Kolek, hoping to play the role of stopper and put an end to this painful stretch of late-game losses.
