A look at why the Rangers still have a chance to dig out of their AL West hole and make the playoffs.ARLINGTON — The clean slate lasted for eight pitches. The Rangers’ rising momentum from the first part of the regular season may have been lost somewhere between Houston and Globe Life Field, or it may have been crushed by the same horse-and-buggy that Adrián Beltré rode into Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
The second half has only just begun, but they’d prefer to regain some of their first-half momentum.
Friday’s 9-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles was reminiscent of the type of game Texas had intended to leave in the first half. That is, a stalling offense, a dud from a stalwart, and a failure to mount a comeback.
It’s the type of baseball that has brought Texas into its current position. For the past 30 days, the Rangers have held third place in the American League’s weakest division. They haven’t led the AL West since May 11 — the second day of a horrific three-game sweep at the hands of the last-place Colorado Rockies — and trailed the first-place Seattle Mariners by as many as ten games last June. Texas reached a season-high five games over.500 on May 7.
22-17. It dropped nine games below that number over the next 57 games, including two six-game losing streaks, two five-game losing streaks, and a 24-33 record.
“It was a pretty good struggle, really, because of who we are,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said before Friday’s game, “and who we think we are.” They believe that they are competitors. The coming weeks may determine that for them. There are many reasons to hope it can be fruitful, even after Friday’s flop in which they earned only two hits.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72757668/1728806972.0.jpg)
“We know where we’re at,” Bochy said. “We’ve got some ground to make up.”
According to Tankathon, the Rangers’ remaining strength of schedule is the fourth-easiest in MLB. It’s partly the result of their own split, which will not face a daunting task either. The Los Angeles Angels have the simplest schedule, the Oakland Athletics are second easiest, and the Houston Astros are fifth easiest. The Mariners are the only team in the division with a second-half schedule that includes games against teams with a winning percentage higher than.500.
It doesn’t guarantee anything, given that the Rangers had a middling strength of schedule (the 14th-easiest, according to ESPN’s relative power index) in the first half. However, it does indicate the presence of opportunity. The Rangers will face the last-place Chicago White Sox seven times, including four
Reinforcements are on the way: Texas has missed 1,004 games this season due to injury and has placed a player on the injured list 21 times. Only Oakland (23 times) has had to do this more frequently in the AL West.
The Rangers who have missed 20 or more games this season include a three-time Cy Young Award winner, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, an All-Star third baseman, a Silver Slugger-winning first baseman, and two preseason AL Rookie of the Year hopefuls.
They have sustained injuries. They’re also healing. Three pitchers, right-hander Tyler Mahle (Tommy John surgery), right-hander Dane Dunning (shoulder tightness), and left-hander Cody Bradford (rib fracture), were scheduled to make rehab starts this weekend. Right-hander
Jacob deGrom has endured a hiccup-free summer in his recovery from last June’s elbow surgery. It’s the offense that needs the bailout, though. Josh Jung has missed 93 of the Rangers’ 97 games this season after his wrist was broken by a Phil Maton pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 1. His recovery and rehab have been a well-documented crawl, but he said Thursday that his wrist reacted fine to swinging a regular bat for the first time in a month this past week. Evan Carter, who’s missed 43 games this season on the injured list, has been at the club’s facility in Arizona working his way back from a stress reaction in his back that’s sidelined him since the end of May. The 21-year-old returned to the Rangers’ clubhouse on Friday and ran the bases at Globe Life Field on Thursday.
Both will need to complete minor league rehab assignments before they can return to the major leagues. Both cannot alone revive a league-average offense that was the AL’s best last season. But Jung’s bat gives the Rangers another middle-of-the-order option (and a plus defender at third base), and Carter’s speed and plate discipline are dynamic.
Will the law of averages work in their favor?: A favorable schedule helps. So does a healthier clubhouse. None might impact winning as much as Marcus Semien (who hit .202 in June), Adolis García (who has hit .193 in his last 30 games), rookie Wyatt Langford (who is 0 for his last 23) and a host of veterans performing at their capable heights. “We just need our guys to be who they are,” Bochy said. “Do what they normally do, and then we’ll be fine.”
Okay, so the timing of the comment is not perfect. Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi (who had a 1.99 ERA at home in the first half) gave up a season-high six earned runs in five innings against the Orioles on Friday, including three two-run home runs to Adley Rutschman (on his eighth pitch), Colton Cowser (four batters later), and Anthony Santander (in the fifth). It put the Rangers, who have yet to stage a winning comeback of more than three runs this season, in a difficult spot.
“I felt good physically,” Eovaldi explained. “Mechanically, I felt slightly off. I felt like I was speeding down the mound slightly.”
Eovaldi received a standing ovation when he pitched against the Orioles in the American League Division Series last year at Globe Life Field. The 34-year-old understands his body and mechanics. He knows when he’s correct. He knows when he is at his finest. He knows where he is.
The Rangers agree.
Leave a Reply