Photo Courtesy: Dominic Ceraldi
The Texas Rangers have a lethal offense and good starting pitching. This has allowed them to stay in 1st place in the AL West for most of the season. They are currently 5 games ahead of the Astros. The Astros are coming to Arlington for a crucial 4 game series. The Rangers could lose an entire season’s worth of work if they go down in flames in this pivotal series. The Astros have been struggling recently with their top slugger Yordan Alvarez hurt. The Rangers have not really taken advantage of this. The Rangers got hosed out of a sweep in Chicago. They looked lost up in the Bronx, managing to steal one of the three games. A tepid split with the Tigers capped the most recent showing. The Rangers will need to fire on all cylinders if they want to beat the Astros in this crucial series.
Four Rangers were named to the All-Star Team starting lineup. Jonah Heim, Josh Jung, Corey Seager, and Marcus Semien. Adolis Garcia was also selected as a bench player. The Rangers core getting much deserved credit is nice to see.
Jon Gray will start the opening game for the Rangers tonight. He has been great when healthy. This is the sort of series where the Rangers really feel the absence of Jacob deGrom. Being able to start the best pitcher in baseball in a crucial best of four like this is paramount.
The Rangers offense has explosive games and pours it on late. But the offense has also been prone to power outages and inconsistency. Nate Lowe’s numbers are slightly down, especially considering the insane protection he has surrounding him in the lineup. Semien has been solid, but somewhat inconsistent. Corey Seager has been exceptional when healthy. Adolis Garcia was on pace for a record season but then went ice cold for a few weeks. He has still been great from the cleanup spot. Catcher Jonah Heim has been exceptional and even starts at DH when resting because he is so good with the bat. Rookie slugger Zeke Duran has been brilliant at the plate. Texas Tech grad Josh Jung has been one of the biggest weapons in the Rangers offense. He is on pace to win Rookie of the Year. Both Jung and Lowe have improved on defense. The Rangers are a solid defensive team. If the Rangers can bolster their pitching a bit they could realistically win 90 games. Every game counts, losing games sloppily in June hurts as much as losing them in September. The Rangers need to maintain their division lead. They do not have the experience or bullpen to win the division from behind. Dominating this Astros series is crucial for that very reason. The Astros are finally slumping after looking infallible for years. The Rangers need to take advantage and win the series. The absence of Jake looms large, but until there is another significant starting pitching injury the Rangers have the depth to consistently win.
Upcoming Schedule – All Times Central
6/30 vs Astros – 7:05 p.m.
7/1 vs Astros – 3:05 p.m.
7/2 vs Astros – 1:35 p.m.
7/3 vs Astros – 1:05 p.m.
7/4 @Red Sox – 12:35 p.m.
7/5 @Red Sox – 6:10 p.m.
7/6 @Red Sox – 6:10 p.m.
7/7 @Nationals – 6:05 p.m.
7/8 @Nationals – 3:05 p.m.
7/9 @Nationals – 11:05 a.m.
