depth is lacking

Adrian Beltre has helped the Texas Rangers win a lot of games over the years. On Saturday Sam Martin Jersey , he found a surprising way to spark his team to its seventh straight victory.
Beltre and Robinson Chirinos homered to help Yovani Gallardo win for the first time since last July as the Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins 9-6 on Saturday.
The home run wasn’t anything unusual — he’s got 466 of those his 21-year major league career. But he led off the second inning by beating out a ground ball to shortstop, no easy feat for a 39-year-old who has spent almost a month on the disabled list this year with a strained left hamstring.
The infield single led to a six-run rally to help the Rangers overcome an early 2-0 deficit.
”Speed kills – don’t you know that?” a grinning Beltre said. ”Over the last week or so, we’ve been able to find out how to get guys on, and now we’re getting more consistent in bringing those guys in.”
Eddie Rosario homered and drove in four runs for the Twins, while Logan Morrison also homered and Mitch Garver had three hits. Minnesota lost its third straight when it couldn’t overcome a short start from veteran Jake Odorizzi (3-5).
The Twins did rally for three runs in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate with two outs. But Rangers closer Keone Kela struck out Morrison with the bases loaded to end the game, earning his 18th save in 18 chances.
Gallardo (1-0) was making his second start for Texas after opening the year with Cincinnati. He promptly fell behind 2-0 just five pitches into the game before turning it around and pitching into the sixth inning.
Joe Mauer led off the bottom of the first with a sharp single to left. Then Rosario hit the first pitch he saw into the right-field seats for his 17th home run of the season.
But Gallardo settled down, at one point retiring 12 of 13. Morrison’s two-run homer with one out in the sixth inning ended Gallardo’s day, but he earned his first victory since July 29, 2017, when he was pitching for Seattle.
Odorizzi retired the side in order in the first inning, but the Rangers knocked him out in a six-run second. The big blows were two-run singles by Delino DeShields and Nomar Mazara.
Beltre’s second hit of the inning finally spelled the end for Odorizzi, who lasted just 1 2/3 innings. It was the shortest start of his career, other than a one-inning start in 2017 that he was forced to leave due to an injury.
”It just started to unravel,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. ”A couple guys got on, then he slipped on the mound, then he hit a guy Levine Toilolo Jersey , and even later in the inning after he’d given up some, we still had chances. He got ahead of Mazara 0-2, Beltre he got ahead of, but we just couldn’t finish.”
Odorizzi, the Twins’ opening day starter, has seen his ERA climb steadily in his last six outings. He’s allowed 25 earned runs in 25 2/3 innings over that stretch, driving his ERA to a season-high 4.97.
”It’s upsetting and frustrating . It’s not something I take lightly.” Odorizzi said. ”I take a lot of pride in getting guys out. Trust me, I’m more frustrated about this than anybody in this clubhouse. This has been one of the tougher stretches in my short big league career.”
HIT BATTER BEEF
Rangers 3B Jurickson Profar was hit by pitches three times on Saturday, tying a team record that he also matched just two weeks ago. But the Rangers were not happy with the circumstances surrounding the third time it happened.
Profar stole second base in the fourth inning when the Rangers were leading 9-2. The next time Profar came to bat, Twins reliever Addison Reed threw three inside fastballs, finally hitting him in the leg with the third one.
”I thought the intent there was excessive, especially they tried to dial him up three different times,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. ”The guy’s playing baseball hard. I guess you can just look at it that there’s a difference in what they’re focusing in on and what we’re focusing in on.”
Molitor didn’t try to rationalize Reed’s approach to Profar, but he also didn’t deny that the dugout took notice when Profar stole a base with a seven-run lead.
”The thought process between the unwritten rules of the game is not clearly defined,” Molitor said. ”What I might think and what he might think might be different things. I was surprised that (Profar) ran with the score the way it was, when he did. And getting hit there was something that Banister felt wasn’t appropriate.”
ROMERO TO ROCHESTER
After the game the Twins optioned rookie RHP Fernando Romero to Triple-A Rochester Kasen Williams Jersey , with a corresponding move to be announced on Sunday. Romero, who made his major league debut on May 2 and won his first two starts, is 3-3 with a 4.38 ERA in 10 starts.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rangers: 1B Joey Gallo left the game in the third inning with left hamstring tightness. He was replaced by Ronald Guzman.
Twins: 3B Eduardo Escobar returned to the starting lineup for the first time since he was hit by a pitch on the right elbow in the first inning of Thursday’s game against Boston.
UP NEXT
Rangers: RHP Bartolo Colon (4-4, 4.91 ERA) returns to Target Field to face his former teammates in the series finale Sunday afternoon. Colon went 5-6 in 15 starts for the Twins last season as he helped them clinch the second AL wild card spot.
Twins: RHP Jose Berrios (7-5, 3.51) will be looking for his first victory since June 7 as Minnesota tries to avoid being swept. In his last two starts he’s allo Acquiring Alex Smith filled a long-term need at quarterback the Washington Redskins didn't think Kirk Cousins was the right fit for.
After signing Smith to a four-year extension worth $94 million, the Redskins then began looking at the other holes on their roster.
Super Bowl MVP QB-turned senior vice president of football operations Doug Williams said Smith looked at Washington's weapons and offensive line before deciding to essentially complete the trade from Kansas City by agreeing to the extension.
Most things are fine on offense if oft-injured tight end Jordan Reed and the line anchored by left tackle Trent Williams stay healthy and new receiver Paul Richardson provides a speed threat along with high-jumper Josh Doctson and possession guy Jamison Crowder.
Then there's the ground game, where only four NFL teams rushed for fewer yards than the Redskins with a combination of Rob Kelley, Samaje Perine and third-down back Chris Thompson.
It's not a great sign that Cousins led the Redskins in rushing touchdowns. So before introducing Smith, Williams glanced at him and said: "I promise you, we'll get the running back situation straight."
The draft gives Williams the opportunity to find that running back, even if it's not in the first round with the 13th pick. The closest running back to making an immediate impact like Leonard Fournette for Jacksonville, Penn State star Saquon Barkley, will be long gone by then.
Georgia's Sony Michel, N.C. State's Jaylen Samuels, Iowa's Akrum Wadley or even Fordham's Chase Edmonds could be later-round targets for Washington, which traded its third-rounder in the Smith deal but has seven more selections after No. 13: Nos. 44 (second) Marcell Dareus Jersey , 109 (fourth), 142 and 163 (fifth), 205 (sixth) and 231 and 241 (seventh).
"Everybody wants to upgrade, and we want to upgrade everywhere if we could," Williams said Tuesday while praising Perine and Thompson when healthy. "Running back is a place that we always say we need a little more help."
Going defense in the first round for the second consecutive year is a strong possibility with needs along the defensive line and in the secondary.
Landing Alabama defensive tackle Jonathan Allen at pick 17 a year ago was a coup for the Redskins, but his injury exposed their lack of depth.
"When we lost Jonathan, things really seemed to kind of change, and that's unfortunate," linebacker Ryan Kerrigan said. "Jon was as advertised in how he played the run and how he played the pass and how he got after the passer, so his loss was huge."
Defensive tackles Vita Vea from Washington and Da'Ron Payne from Alabama are projected to be mid-first-round picks.
Some other things to consider for the Redskins at the draft:
SECONDARY CONCERNS
Beyond top cornerback Josh Norman and safety D.J. Swearinger, Washington has question marks all over its secondary and is counting on young and/or injury-prone players to take a lot of snaps. Second-year cornerback Fabian Moreau and safety Montae Nicholson, converted receiver Quinton Dunbar and recently signed Orlando Scandrick are in the mix, but the Redskins could use some help there.
If a defensive back such as Alabama's Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ohio State's Denzel Ward or Florida State's Derwin James are available at 13, the Redskins could make an immediate upgrade in an important spot.
ONE BIG HOLE
Left guard is the only position on the roster that doesn't have a likely starter already unless Washington's front office experiences a change of heart and brings back Shawn Lauvao. Getting Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson would be a dream at 13, though it's more likely the Redskins find a fit later in the draft after doing the same with center Chase Roullier last year.
Williams allowed for the possibility that Arie Kouandjio could start at left guard.
"We're not going in saying Dalton Schultz Jersey , 'We got to get a guard,'" he said. "That's not where we are at this point because we got enough guys around here that if we have to play the game, if everybody was healthy today with what we have, we would have no problem lining up playing the game."
TIGHT END INSURANCE
While Reed is an elite talent and a matchup nightmare, injuries limited him to six games last season and 12 in 2016, second tight end Vernon Davis is 34, 2017 pick Jeremy Sprinkle is unproven and Niles Paul is gone. All that makes tight end an intriguing position for the Redskins if they can find someone there who can catch passes and serve as a blocker.
LINEBACKER DEPTH
Washington's starting linebacking group is set with Zach Brown and Mason Foster inside and Kerrigan and Preston Smith outside. Beyond that, depth is lacking, making soon-to-be 20-year-old Tremaine Edmunds out of Virginia Tech is a possibility in the first round. A hybrid linebacker/safety would also help the Redskins replace 2016 third-rounder Su'a Cravens, who left the team while contemplating retirement last season and was traded to Denver.
HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS
Right guard Brandon Scherff has been a no-doubter making the Pro Bowl twice since going fifth overall in 2015.
Thompson was the Redskins' offensive MVP last season after being a fifth-round pick in 2013, and 2016 fifth-rounder Matt Ioannidis could be a fixture on the defensive line for years.
Misses are far more frequent for Washington in recent years, including most of the 2014 class. WR Josh Doctson, a first-rounder in 2016, is still a question mark.
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