Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kumar Rocker (80) heads to the dugout after a pitching change during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
LM Otero/AP Photo/LM Otero
ARLINGTON — Kumar Rocker has come so far this year. He’s pitched more than ever before. He’s shown an effective third pitch. He’s actually held baserunners. He’s mostly fielded his position alertly.
Sunday, though, with a sweep for the Rangers over Baltimore at stake, was a reminder that he is still very much a work in progress. It set the tone for a 10-5 loss to Baltimore, snapping a four-game winning streak and sending the Rangers back to .500 for the eighth time in the last 31 days.
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On Sunday, Rocker hesitated to throw the splitter, with which he’s shown flashes of effectiveness this season. And he failed once again to instinctively go to first on a key first-inning play that led to a pair of Baltimore runs before the Rangers ever came to bat. After Jake Burger made a diving stop on Dylan Beavers’ hard-hit, two-out grounder, Rocker was caught flat-footed on the mound watching the play. Beavers beat him to the base, forcing in one run. Former Ranger Leody Taveras followed with a run-scoring double.
“It was a momentum-changing play,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “It’s just a mental lapse that happened at the wrong time. It’s something he knows. It’s not like it hasn’t been talked about. He’s done a really good job of cleaning a lot of stuff up. It’s the first time that’s happened this year, and I’m hoping it doesn’t happen again.”
It’s been talked about because Rocker had an issue with it in 2025. Twice in a start at Tampa Bay, he fumbled his responsibility to cover first on crucial ground balls. A day later he was demoted to the minors to work on the ancillary elements of the game, such as fielding duties and holding runners. But the Rangers called him back just 10 days later. Their need in the majors outweighed their desire for a tutorial.
Mostly, though, the message was received. After 16 baserunners were successful stealing against him to start his career, he’s had two of the last eight caught. He’s been far more attentive to covering first. Sunday was a slip-up, he said.
“I think [my issue] was more mental than anything,” said Rocker, who was charged with six runs in three-plus innings. “I didn’t feel like I showed up ready to play, and it kind of carried onto the field and set the tone. I made a costly error, just allowed those runs, and then just didn’t give the guys any momentum to begin with. That’s just on me.”
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To be sure, it wasn’t just the fielding mistake that was the problem on Sunday. Rocker did allow three other hits in the first inning, including Taveras’ two-out double. He allowed homers to Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson in the second. And immediately after Brandon Nimmo clawed the Rangers back with a two-out, three-run homer in the third, Rocker walked No. 9 hitter Carlos Narvaez, who hadn’t walked in 53 MLB plate appearances dating to last season, to start the fourth. He was removed for Jordan Montgomery.
Potentially impacting Rocker’s success: The disappearance of the splitter. He threw it five times in an early July start and another six times against the Chicago White Sox after the All-Star break with some success. But in his last three starts, it’s been absent and it limits the number of pitches hitters have to be prepared for. In those three starts, he’s allowed 11 earned runs in 15 innings and has a 1.80 WHIP.
“We’ve talked about it since spring training, that we wanted to see it more,” Schumaker said. “It’s been good in bullpens. So, it’s just trust with it, I think. He’s more comfortable in leverage spots with the slider because the slider is a really good pitch, and he doesn’t want to get burned with his third pitch yet. But the more he uses it, the better it’s going to be.
“It’s a really good third pitch and hopefully it’s part of his bullpen session again next time. Hopefully, he utilizes it more, especially against lefties. I think it’s going to be a weapon at some point. He’s just got to use it more.”
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Trusting the splitter is a possible improvement he can make. Covering first base, though, is an imperative one.