Anytime you score in the first inning of all three games in a series, you feel pretty good about your chances for success.

However, for the Texas Rangers, that was not the case this weekend as they were swept by the Philadelphia Phillies at Globe Life Field, despite putting at least one run on the board in every opening frame.

On Sunday afternoon, Joc Pederson got things started for the Rangers by belting a two-run home run just left of the right field foul pole to give Texas an early 2-0 lead.

Nonetheless, those would be the only two runs the Rangers would get as they fell by a score of 4-2, closing out a sweep at the hands of the Phillies.

In the series, Corey Seager’s 8th inning solo home run on Saturday was the Rangers lone non-first-inning run.

“It was the story of the whole series,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said when speaking about the team’s inability to add onto their early leads.

“We came out and scored in the first inning of all three games, and we liked where we were at; the guys were swinging it well. In the first game, after we scored, they shut out the next eight innings, and that happened again today, the other game, we scored one run after scoring in the first inning”.

“We’re in a funk, we just can’t get off that side of scoring one or two runs, and it’s hard to win ballgames like that”.

Pederson’s home run was the second-shortest by a Ranger at Globe Life Field this season, traveling just 354 feet and landing just left of the right field foul pole.

Unfortunately, that shot would not be enough to beat the Phillies, who scored three runs in the middle innings against Rangers starter Patrick Corbin.

Corbin faced the minimum in three hitless innings the first time through the order, but the Phillies went 4-8 off the Texas southpaw the second time through.

After a leadoff walk to Trea Turner in the 4th, Bryce Harper slapped an RBI double down the left field line for the first Phillies run.

In the fifth, 3rd baseman Edmundo Sosa ripped a 403-foot home run into the left field bleachers to tie the game, and two batters later, nine-hole hitter Weston Wilson flipped an RBI single into center field to score Harrison Bader, who singled and stole second for Philadelphia’s third run.

Wilson would be Corbin’s last batter as he finished the day with a line of 4.1 IP, 4H 3ER 3BB and just 1K, drawing his first loss since June 23rd against the Orioles.

“He was good early,” Bochy said when speaking of Corbin. “The fifth was the inning that he had some balls up a little bit, but he kept us in the game there.

The Phillies would add an insurance run via a sac fly off the bat of Brandon Marsh against Phil Maton, and that would prove to be more than enough against a Rangers team that has struggled amidst their stretch facing tough pitching.

Despite the run of multiple elite starters on the mound, the Rangers know that they have to find ways to pull out wins against the game’s best.

“Look, you’re gonna see good pitching in this game,” Bochy finished. “If we think we are who we are, then we’ll find a way to get those runs. Like I said, we’re doing it early, but for some reason, their starters are getting settled in.

“You keep pushing, that’s all you can do,” Bochy went on to say. “This has been a tough rut of five games. I think we’ve been in this