OAKLAND, Calif. - Critical elements of having a pitching staff with a "pitch-to-contact" mentality:
Throw strikes to force contact.
After contact, make plays.
The Rangers are struggling with the concepts. In a 6-2 loss to Oakland Wednesday, the pitchers allowed five walks and hit a batter. The defense contributed a big error and a couple of failed plays. Three of the free baserunners became runs. And they scored in innings when the defense, most notably core players Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara, couldn't come up with makeable plays.
Both reducing walks and tightening the defense were key themes of spring training.