CHICAGO — The Texas Rangers experienced nights like Tuesday all too many times in the first month of the season.

The Rangers, who didn’t have many scoring opportunities against the Chicago White Sox, failed to convert when they did in a 10-2 loss.

The second inning set the tone.

After Hank Blalock opened the inning with a triple to center, the Rangers seemed positioned tie the game at 1. But Brandon Boggs, Chris Davis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia failed to get the ball out of the infield against left-hander Mark Buehrle.

It was all bad from there as the White Sox continually took advantage of Luis Mendoza, breaking the game open with a four-run fourth.

But if the Rangers could have gotten the clutch hit in the second, things may have been different.

"We’re facing some pretty good guys who are pretty much hitting their spots," said Boggs, who grounded out to third for the first out in the second. "Today it was just pretty tough. [Buehrle] is a good pitcher. He doesn’t really work in the zone. He works off the plate and in the corners."

The Rangers were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, despite having 10 hits. In five games since the All-Star break, they are batting .136 (3-for-22) with runners in scoring position. They entered Tuesday’s game hitting .276 with runners in scoring position this season.

The Rangers, who lead the American League in runs scored, have scored only 11 in five games — and six of those came Monday.

Rangers manager Ron Washington attributes that more to the pitchers the Rangers have faced than to any downward trend in clutch hitting.

"There’s no need to be concerned," Washington said. "Pitching stops hitting. I keep saying that. How can you keep scoring seven runs a night? Nobody does that in this game of baseball. We’ll be fine."

Josh Hamilton, who went 1-for-4, said Rangers hitters have been flat since returning to action. Like Washington, he doesn’t see any reason to be concerned.

"If you look at the beginning of the season, we came out of that, too," Hamilton said. "When it happens, it’s going to happen. And it’s going to happen soon."

The Rangers would have needed a bunch of clutch hits to battle back. Mendoza (2-4) allowed only one run through three innings but came apart in the fourth. Nick Swisher’s three-run homer put the White Sox up 4-0.

Lack of command cost Mendoza.

"The fourth was the game to me," he said. "This team has a lot of lefties. If you leave a sinker in the middle, they hit it.

"I missed my spots. My arm feels great, and my fastball was good. In the fourth inning, with two strikes I was missing pitches."

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