ARLINGTON -- Saturday night marked the 24th outfield combination the Rangers have played this season. Joey Gallo in left, Delino DeShields in center and Shin-Soo Choo in right.

The trio combined offered more possibilities on offense than defense. That keeps with the theme of the Rangers' season for the outfield.

The outfield defense has been a cut below average.

An infield error can cost a team a base. An outfield misplay can cost a team a game.

That was driven home on Friday night in a 4-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Globe Life Park. Right fielder Nomar Mazara could not reach Nicky Delmonico's drive to the wall, turning it into a game-winning inside-the-park home run. Center fielder Delino DeShields and second baseman Rougned Odor did not provide back-up on the play.

A good and fast right fielder likely makes the play on Delmonico's ball. Mazara does not have those defensive gifts.

Mazara emerged with a hyper-extended left knee after taking on the wall but completed the game. Manager Jeff Banister sided with caution on the day after, using Mazara as the designated hitter.

Mazara, whose bat is his prime asset, is an adequate outfielder. He ranks 29th among 60 full-time major-league outfielders for Ultimate Zone Rating at 2.5, according to fangraphs.com. That is consistent with the outfield's defensive performance for the season.

Fangraphs' UZR has the Rangers' outfield at ninth in the American League at -0.9. The Fielding Bible, backed by analytics godfather Bill James, puts the Rangers in 10th for runs saved at +1. Baseballreference.com has the Rangers in ninth for Total Zone Total Fielding Runs against at +4.

"We're not where we want to be yet," Banister said. "We're working toward that, but I do think the outfield play is better than the rankings."

The defense in left has been acceptable. According to The Fielding Bible, the Rangers are tied for fourth in the AL for runs saved from left field at +5.

Delino DeShields, who has improved, as been a better defender in left than in center. Joey Gallo has been a revelation with his defensive work in left. An argument can be made that Gallo is the club's best defensive outfielder.

The drop-off comes in center and right.

When center fielder Carlos Gomez won a Gold Glove with Milwaukee in 2013, he had a +32 for runs saved. Gomez this season is down to +1, the same as DeShields. At +2, the Rangers are tied for 11th in the AL for runs saved from center.

The Rangers are also 11th for runs saved from right at -6. Choo is -4 for 54 starts in right. Fangraphs.com puts Choo at No. 132 out of 148 outfielders with at least 200 plate appearances for UZR at -5.3

Choo and Mazara have good instincts but lack the speed and athleticism of top-shelf defenders. When the Rangers play them on the corners, problems can arise.

"We're not elite athletic on the corners," Banister said of Choo and Mazara. "Joe offers a ton of athleticism in left. That number has an opportunity to rise with Joe in left, Carlos and Delino in center and Maz in right."

How relevant is outfield defense to team success?

The AL leaders in runs saved from the outfield, according to The Fielding Bible, are Boston at +38, Seattle at +24 and the New York Yankees at +23. Those clubs began the day at a combined 39 games more than .500.

In winning the AL West during the previous two seasons, the Rangers got by with less than average outfield defense. They were -9 in 2015 and -11 last season.

"The only real ranking that matters in that regard is who raises the trophy," Banister said. "Ranking yourself among other teams, that means if you're not No. 1, you're not setting the standard."

Twitter: @gfraley