The Texas Rangers scored three runs but the Cincinnati Reds scored 14 runs.

The Vandy boys Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter must have been born with the power of the quickening or something. As baseball pitching prospect highlanders, there apparently can only be one of them going well and hyped up as a future bright spot.

After Rocker had seemingly leaped over Leiter in the next great hope pecking order last summer, he came to spring and pitched poorly before turning it on a little in his last couple of outings. Leiter, meanwhile, was the breakout performer of spring and followed that up with a stellar outing in his 2025 debut as he picked up his first big league victory.

So even with Leiter reclaiming the buzz baton a little, there was anticipation for how Rocker’s season debut would go tonight and, well, it…wasn’t good.

Every time Rocker tried to throw a fastball it was over the heart of the plate and the Reds smacked it hard somewhere. Every time he tried to get them to swing at his deadly slider, they just held out for a fastball to hit.

The Reds scored three in the first and three more in the second and, after a successful scoreless “something to feel good about” inning, Rocker’s night was done having allowed six runs on seven hits with two walks and just three Ks in his three innings of work which took him 74 pitches to wade through.

A fine Patrick Corbin impression, all in all.

Maybe more depressing was the fact that while the Rangers were sacrificing Gerson Garabito to Elly De La Cruz holding a freshly unwrapped new torpedo bat, Texas was mustering just one hit off Reds starter Brady Singer as the game felt like a pure give-up for everyone involved virtually as soon as it was clear that Rocker didn’t have it.

This is an easy one to forget.

Player of the Game: Ezequiel Duran was the only Rangers pitcher to enjoy a spotless appearance on the night but you might be saying “hey, Ezequiel Duran isn’t a pitcher” and you would be right.

Up Next: Maybe the Rangers will head over to Dick’s Sporting Goods and pick up some torpedo bats of their own as they look to put this game behind them with RHP Nathan Eovaldi on the mound tomorrow evening opposite RHP Carson Spiers for Cincy.

Tuesday’s first pitch from Great American Ball Park is scheduled for 5:40 pm CT with a telecast available via the Rangers Sports Network.