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Texas Rangers starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Friday, May 29, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (LM Otero/AP Photo/LM Otero)
ARLINGTON — Is it execution, selection or the defense behind him?
Rangers left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore and those around him would prefer to credit each of the three, and in a 9-1 win vs. the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Field Friday night, he wielded the trio to continue his best stretch of play since the club acquired him this past winter. Gore pitched 6 ⅓ scoreless innings, allowed four hits and didn't walk a batter until his seventh frame of work.
The 27-year-old has a 0.89 ERA in his last three full starts, minus the injury-shortened single-inning game he pitched against the Colorado Rockies last week, and a 1.69 ERA in his last four total. He's thrown more than 64% of his pitches for strikes in those three starts, walked only five total batters and, in Friday's win, elicited nearly a dozen hard-hit balls that were cleanly fielded by a defense that played one of its best individual games this season.
"It's the guys behind me," Gore said. "I think the [lack of] hits are more about the guys behind me than myself."
There's merit to that, given how second baseman Nicky Lopez fielded scorchers and how shortstop Ezequiel Duran played the position "as good as you're going to see," per Rangers manager Skip Schumaker, but Gore's ability to attack within the strike zone has befuddled opponents. He allowed a .118 batting average on pitches in the strike zone two starts ago vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks, a .094 batting average in his previous start against the Los Angeles Angels and, against the Royals, allowed only two hits on pitches in the strike zone despite loud contact.
In his worst four-start stretch with the Rangers — a run between April 19 and May 7 in which he yielded a 7.58 ERA — opponents hit .240 and slugged .480 against his pitches within the strike zone.
"There were balls that were hit pretty hard, too, and that's okay," Schumaker said of Friday's start. "I'd rather have that than ball four or long counts. It shows you how good of stuff he has. He was throwing at the bottom of the zone, at the top of the zone, his sinker was really effective against lefties and he'd throw it at the top against righties. His curveball, when he missed it, he'd throw it again for strike. His slider, when he missed it, he'd throw it again for a strike. He made the adjustment, pitch-to-pitch today, which was really good to see."
Gore stranded two runners in scoring position in the first inning when designated hitter Starling Marte hit an in-the-zone curveball back up the middle that Lopez fielded for a putout. He retired the side in order in the second, third, fourth and sixth innings before he exited after one out in the seventh with two runners on. Gore is a certified strikeout pitcher with a deep arsenal of high-grade weapons to generate swings and misses, but vs. the Royals, he struck out only three batters and elicited only seven whiffs.
"I think it's about the confidence and the trust of just getting stuff in the zone," catcher Danny Jansen said, "and trusting the guys behind him."
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