The first place Texas Rangers just completed a rough road trip. They started last week in Tampa Bay where they were swept in three games. They then went to Baltimore where they split going 2-2. They have a few key guys out with injuries but that is no excuse to be playing as poorly as they have. With the commanding lead they have in the A.L. West, they should be distancing themselves and sealing the division. Every team goes through a slump at some point in the season so hopefully they are getting theirs out of the way before October. The good news is that despite their poor play they still have an 8.5 game lead as of Tuesday morning.

Once the Rangers get Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler back, the offense will be back to scoring at will. The rest of the season and the playoffs are going to depend on the pitching. C.J. Wilson has emerged as the ace on this team. In his last start against Baltimore, he pitched 8 2/3 innings, struckout 12, and only gave up three hits. Neftali Feliz, at age 22, became the youngest player in MLB history to have 30 saves in a season. Lefty Michael Kirkman, who was called up last week from Oklahoma City, got his first taste of the bigs last Saturday pitching in relief. He struck out the first three batters and got his fourth batter out before being replaced. Rich Harden gets one more chance this week to show he can help this team. I was in Oklahoma City for his last rehab start where he looked impressive with 10 strikeouts, three walks, and only three hits.

This week they return home to play the Twins and then their division rival, the Oakland A’s. Look for them to get back in the win column this week and start to pull away in the division.