ARLINGTON, Texas — The MLB All-Star game is on Tuesday and some teams are relieved for the All-Star break to arrive, including the Texas Rangers.
Texas started off hot and have been in the lead of the American League West division the entire season - but they’ve hit a bit of a wall in their past 15 games, going 6-9 and losing three series to the New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, and splitting another with the Detroit Tigers.
The Rangers dropped the series finale to Boston in Fenway Park on Thursday when a combination of Josh Sborz and Grant Anderson gave up six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning turning a 6-3 lead into a 10-6 deficit that the Rangers couldn’t overcome.
On Friday’s Locked On Rangers episode, host Brice Paterik came up with five ways the Rangers can improve after the All-Star break.
1. Marcus Semien needs to snap out of his hitting funk
Paterik joked, “I know it sounds like champagne problems but Semien needs to improve on what he’s done the last month and a half.” Semien’s best month was May when he batted .322/.385/.513 with three home runs, nine doubles and 21 runs batted in. He dropped off in June but so far in July he’s been abysmal only batting .160/.250/.200 with only four hits in 25 at bats—only one of the four was for extra bases.
2. The bullpen must improve
Case in point, Thursday’s game against the Red Sox. You can’t give up six runs in an inning and expect to win a game. It put unneeded pressure on the offense which already scored enough for your team to win. The Rangers did trade for Aroldis Chapman on June 30 so the front office knew it needed bullpen help but now it’s a matter of execution.
3. Martin Pérez has to pitch better
Paterik said about Pérez, “He has been significantly worse the last season and the Rangers need him to improve.” He has a 4.81 ERA in 17 starts and 91 and two-thirds innings of work. His record is 7-3 but in four of those wins, the Rangers have scored more than 10 runs in support of him. He’s also surrendered 16 home runs already this season.
4. Andrew Heaney also has to pitch better
Heaney has a 5-5 record with a 4.12 ERA in 16 starts spread across 83 innings. His best outing of the season came way back on May 27 when he held the Baltimore Orioles to one run on four hits in seven shutout innings. Since then, he hasn’t made it past the sixth inning in any of his outings. One other problem Heaney has is his walk rate. He has 35 walks in those 83 innings of work and his walks per nine rate is the highest of his career at 3.8 in 2023.
5. Nathaniel Lowe needs to slug and not just get on base
As Paterik said on his show, “Lowe is an on-base machine, but he’s not hitting for power.” Lowe has nine home runs in 344 at-bats so far in 2023. He does have 24 doubles, but Paterik would like to see Lowe have a second-half power surge. Especially with his spot in the lineup—he’s usually plugged in at number three behind Semien and Corey Seager, and if Semien can hit up again and Seager can be Seager, Lowe can drive them in.
Before the All-Star break arrives, the Rangers have one more series. They’ll be in Washington to face the last-place Nationals. If they want to end the “first half” on a high note, they’ll need to sweep the lowly Nationals and show everyone that this team is for real.
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