Colby Lewis took a no-hitter into the ninth inning on Jun. 16, then allowed six earned runs in his most recent outing.
The depth of the Texas starting rotation took a significant hit Wednesday when it was announced that Colby Lewis will be shelved up to two months with a strained lat muscle.
That news came just hours after left-hander Derek Holland was put on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his throwing shoulder.
Holland started Monday’s makeup game versus the Orioles and yielded three runs on nine base hits with a pair of walks before he was pulled in the top of the fifth. Although Texas rallied to win, 4-3, it marked Holland’s third straight appearance of multiple earned runs across five or less innings pitched.
“We are doing it as a precaution,” he said of his trip to the disabled list. “It’s been going on a little bit. It’s not something I couldn’t pitch through. … But I wasn’t doing a good job.”
Right-handed reliever Luke Jackson was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock to replace Holland on the Rangers’ active roster.
Lewis, meanwhile, endured one of his worst outings of the season on Tuesday against Cincinnati at Globe Life Park, getting rocked for six earned runs in just five innings of work. He gave up a three-run homer to Jay Bruce in the top of the first while Anthony DeSclafani led the Reds to an 8-2 win.
The 36-year-old Lewis said he felt cramping in his throwing arm during Tuesday’s start, and an MRI performed Wednesday revealed the strained muscle in his back. While he will avoid surgery, Lewis won’t be able to throw again for at least four weeks.
Sandwiched in between the slices of bad news regarding Holland and Lewis was a 6-4 Texas victory behind Cole Hamels, who struck out eight batters Wednesday and scattered five hits over his six quality frames.
The Rangers produced four runs off Cincinnati’s Dan Straily in the bottom of the fourth, a rally that was triggered when Straily loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter to begin the inning. Ian Desmond and Shin-Soo Choo later hit solo homers to give the Texas bullpen some breathing room.
Following the brief visits by Baltimore and Cincinnati, the Rangers dropped the opener of a three-game series against Boston in gut-wrenching fashion Friday, squandering a three-run lead in the ninth inning as Mookie Betts homered off Matt Bush to tie the game.
Dustin Pedroia then drew a walk, moved to third base on a single, and came home to score the go-ahead run when Bush uncorked a wild pitch to David Ortiz, giving the Red Sox an 8-7 come-from-behind victory.
Right-hander A.J. Griffin returned from a bout of shoulder stiffness to start in place of Holland on Saturday while Lewis was officially put on the 15-day disabled list in a corresponding roster move. Griffin recorded six strikeouts before he was pulled with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth.
Luke Jackson got Pedroia to ground into an inning-ending double play, and Texas increased what had been a slim lead with five runs off American League ERA leader Steven Wright in the bottom of the frame.
Swingman Cesar Ramos earned the victory with two and two-thirds innings of shutout relief as the Rangers cruised to a 10-3 win.
In Sunday’s rubber match, the Texas lineup jumped on Clay Buchholz for three runs before he recorded an out in the first inning, and Prince Fielder later slugged a two-run homer to pave the way for a 6-2 victory to take the series.
The team will now travel to New York for a four-game set beginning Monday, when Chi Chi Gonzalez – taking Lewis’ spot in the rotation – is expected to make his first big-league start of the season opposite Ivan Nova.
Club Keeps Racking Up Double Plays
Texas turned five more double plays during the Boston series and continues to lead Major League Baseball with 99 twin killings across its first 76 games this year.
The franchise record for double plays turned in a season is 191, a mark set in 2008 with an infield headlined by the All-Star tandem of Ian Kinsler at second base and Michael Young at shortstop.
The current infield quartet (Adrian Beltre, Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor and Mitch Moreland) consists of players who are all above-average defenders, but Rangers hurlers have helped the cause by consistently pitching to low contact.
Southpaw Martin Perez leads both leagues with 19 double plays turned behind him, followed by Carlos Martinez (18) of the Cardinals and Mike Pelfrey (16) of the Tigers.
Rangers Make Strides in All-Star Voting
It appears unlikely that Texas will send a starting position player to this year’s All-Star Game in San Diego, but outfielder Ian Desmond and third baseman Adrian Beltre have both climbed in the vote totals and could land a spot on the American League bench.
Desmond (1,133,422) and Beltre (1,099,086) are the Rangers’ leading vote-getters according to the most recent totals released Monday, followed by shortstop Elvis Andrus (917,112) and catcher Robinson Chirinos (511,308).
The 87th midsummer classic will be held on Tuesday, Jul. 12, at Petco Park.
Nate's Notes 
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