The Texas Rangers began the 2026 season with hope and optimism. They had the best ERA in the league last season. They have parlayed that great pitching into this year. Opening Day saw them take on the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies ace Christopher Sanchez was elite. He struckout 10 batters over six innings. The Rangers offense was blanked until the 9th. Loss 5-3.
The Rangers rode Corey Seager and Jake Burger homers to a 3-0 lead. Jacob Latz started this game in place of Jacob deGrom, who was sore on a cold day. Latz was great, hurling 4 hitless innings. Things got messy late. Robert Garcia got two outs in the ninth before walking the batter he needed to get out.
“Son, the guy you were supposed to get out is standing on first. Give me the damn ball.” – Legendary Skipper Billy Martin
Chris Martin (no relation) came in and proceeded to blow the lead. He ended up being credited with the win after the Rangers scored two runs in the 10th. Win 5-4.
The Rangers won the rubber match of the series behind homers from Brandom Nimmo and Andrew McCutchen. MacKenzie Gore struckout 7 in his solid start. Cole Winn posted 0.2 scoreless innings in this game. He had been elite this season. He has pitched in 8 games and has yet to give up a run. He is the bullpen arm to watch on this team. Win 8-3.
The Rangers traveled to Baltimore to take on the Orioles. They won the opener behind a Jack Leiter quality start and three hits from Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo has been very good for the Rangers this season. Jake Burger had 2 RBI in this affair. He has been solid this season. Win 5-2.
Every Ranger in the lineup posted a hit in this affair, with the notable exception of Joc Pederson. Pederson is a clueless joke and is going down as one of the worst free agent signings ever. Cole Winn had another great appearance in this game. He is used in high leverage situations. Win 8-5.
The Rangers dropped the final game of the series after Nathan Eovaldi struggled. The offense was also bad. Loss 8-3.
The Rangers hosted the Cincinnati Reds after winning their first two series of the season. The baseball season is a marathon. It is important to try to win every best of three. It is especially damning to get swept by a bad team. The Rangers frittered away their progress of the season by getting swept by the Reds. The Reds also swept the Rangers in 2023.
The Rangers played the Mariners at home after the catastrophe with Cincinnati. The Mariners and Astros are the two most important opponents for the Rangers. The Rangers struggle to play in Seattle. Thankfully this series was at home. Jacob deGrom dueled Logan Gilbert in the opener. Both starters have exceptional control and very good stuff. Jake outperformed Gilbert. Seager and Burger both had an RBI. Win 2-1.
Nathan Eovaldi got his groove back in this start. He went six strong. He allowed two runs. He was opposed by George Kirby. Kirby, like Gilbert, is known for his great control. He had great stuff in addition to his great control. This is somewhat abnormal. In another flare of the abnormal, Kirby pitched all 8 innings of this loss. He allowed three runs. Jacob Latz held the Rangers lead for two innings. Closer Jakob Junis came in to shut the door to secure another very important divisional win. Win 3-2.
MacKenzie Gore made another brilliant start in the final game of this series. Five scoreless innings, nine strikeouts. He was opposed by Bryan Woo. Woo is talented and walks very few batters. The Mariners have an exceptional pitching staff. The Rangers tallied all three runs in the 5th inning of this game. The flashpoint of the inning was a brutal throwing error to third that allowed the Rangers to get things going. Cole Winn got the save to complete the sweep. Win 3-0.
Casual baseball fans focus too much on the final games of the season. These sweeps in April count just as much as games in September. The Mariners play very well against the Rangers, especially at home. The Rangers set the tone by sweeping them early. The format of the schedule changed a couple years ago. Divisional games were decreased in favor of more interleague play. This was a very good change. Rangers fans would much rather see them play the Mets than the Homeless Athletics for the 19th time that season.
The Rangers faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers superteam in LA after their successful series against Seattle. The opening pitching matchup was a hilarious mismatch. Developing Kumar Rocker faced off against Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow is one of the filthiest pitchers in baseball. He resembles the protagonist of the TV show Peaky Blinders. On the mound he resembles Prime Mark Prior. The tall righty boasts a truly devastating mix of pitches; but his bread and butter is an explosive heater with a massive curveball. These pitchers are the most fun to watch. Mark Prior and Doc Gooden both employed this style. Pitchers that use this style command the game in a domineering way. Rocker held his own, but Robert Garcia was popped again in this game. Garcia and Chris Martin were very solid last season. They have been bad so far this year. Corey Seager had 3 RBI. Evan Carter had 2 RBI. Loss 8-7.
Jack Leiter was hammered by the insane Dodgers lineup. He gave up five runs in 3.2 IP. The Rangers looked outmatched in this affair. The vibe of the series pointed towards a sweep.
In seasons past the Rangers would have been laughed out of the final game of this series. The sweep at the hands of the insane Dodgers would have seemed like a foregone conclusion. Enter Jacob deGrom. Jake twirled 6 brilliant innings against an All-Star lineup. He was opposed by fireballing Roki Sasaki. Sasaki appears to be more suited for bullpen use than starting. The trio of Jacob Latz, Cole Winn, and Jakob Junis bridged the final three innings to the W. They allowed just one run. Skip Schumaker has done a great job with bullpen management so far. He is using Cole Winn as a fireman/high leverage guy. Jakob Junis is the closer. Latz gets high leverage innings too. Many of the wins so far have been very close games that relied on perfect bullpen use. So far Skip has done an incredible job with his bullpen.
The Rangers will play the Athletics next. The two teams are currently tied for first.
