Photo Courtesy: Michael Kolch
The Texas Rangers spent the first 100 games of the season asleep at the wheel. The pitching was great, the offense was wretched. The team that returned from the All-Star Break finally started playing up to its potential.
The turn began with three close victories over the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are the best team in the AL Central. Their ace Tarik Skubal stood tall for them in their lone victory of the series. The Rangers then laid waste to the hapless Homeless Athletics. Jack Leiter and Jacob deGrom both turned in great starts. Talented fireballer Jon Gray made his triumphant return from injury in the final game to complete the sweep.
The next series defined the season for the Rangers. The Atlanta Braves came to town to make their last stand. The Braves are similar to the Rangers. They won the World Series a few years ago and have been in a weird funk since. Nathan Eovaldi stood tall in the opener. This has been the case all season. He actually got some run support this time. The Rangers offense is finally starting to click. Corey Seager is hitting his peak rank. Marcus Semien woke up. Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter have both been solid and dynamic. Josh Jung is returning to form. The catcher position is still a problem. Jonah Heim is being overworked. The Rangers should trade for Austin Hedges. Josh Smith has been very good. The 8-3 win set the tone for the series.
The Saturday game of the series defined the season in many ways. Kumar Rocker threw six straight balls to begin the game. He struggled with his control but limited damage. It was a typical Kumar start. He threw many uncompetitive pitches and many highly dangerous backdoor pitches. He lasted four innings, giving up four runs. It could have been a LOT worse. Marcus Semien was hit in the head in the middle of the game as the Rangers trailed. He stayed in the game and later scored. He contributed a huge hit later in the game too. The Rangers posted a run in the 9th to force extra innings for the first time all season. The Rangers have been VERY lifeless and pathetic when behind this season. They showed life during this game. They fought hard in the 10th inning and walked the Braves off. Marcus Semien delivered the killing blow. The 6-5 victory was an important one for a team that has been lost all season.
Jack Leiter had a brilliant start in the final game of this series. He was consistent and threw strikes. The Rangers posted crooked numbers in the first three frames, allowing Leiter to be aggressive and hammer the zone. The hapless Braves never turned it on. Win 8-1.
The Rangers need to ride their momentum to more sweeps. They established themselves as “good enough NOT to sell at the deadline.” They need to keep pouring it on and making up for lost time.
Upcoming Schedule – All Times Central
7/28 – @Angels – 8:38 p.m.
7/29 – @Angels – 8:38 p.m.
7/30 – @Angels – 8:38 p.m.
7/31 – @Mariners – 8:40 p.m.
8/1 – @Mariners – 9:10 p.m.
8/2 – @Mariners – 3:10 p.m.
8/3 – @Mariners – 3:10 p.m.
