ARLINGTON, Texas — Leading up to their last day off, the Texas Rangers were tasked with squaring off against the struggling Boston Red Sox. With a final pause on Thursday ahead of the last home series of the season – a monumental set against the Seattle Mariners, it was imperative for Texas to gain as much momentum as they could ahead of the final ten games on the schedule.
This was especially true with Seattle, with whom Texas is tied for the American League’s third and final Wild Card spot, facing off against the Rangers in seven of those games. The Houston Astros, meanwhile, have been keeping the AL West race interesting, so facing off against a last place team seemed to be something of a blessing for the Rangers.
While it started off disastrously, with old demons continuing to haunt the team, the Rangers broke out of that malaise and did what needed to be done to maintain their playoff spot.
Game 150: Boston 4, Texas 2 (W: Winckowski, 4-2, L: Smith, 2-7, Sv: Martin 2)
Game 151: Boston 4, Texas 6 (W: Chapman, 6-4, L: Murphy, 1-2, Sv: Leclerc 3)
Game 152: Boston 5, Texas 15 (W: Perez, 10-4, L: Bello, 12-10)
Three Up
The cavalry arrives – Before the opening game of the series on Monday, the club announced that both Josh Jung and Adolis Garcia would rejoin the active roster and be present for the team going forward. Jung had been out since August 7th with a left thumb fracture, while Garcia had been out since September 8th with a right patellar tendon strain.
The absence of both left a significant gap in the offense and defense, especially with Jung out at third base. While it probably took both players the entirety of the series against the Red Sox to shake off the rust, their presence lengthens the lineup and changes the way the rest of the hitters are pitched.
Perez out of the ‘pen – In the finale on Wednesday, starter Jon Gray didn’t have it (again). After just 39 pitches in 2 ⅓ innings, Gray had given up four runs on four hits, including two home runs, prompting for an early exit and an unwelcome lengthy day for the bullpen.
Martin Perez, the starter turned reliever, showed some of that 2022 magic that made him an All-Star as a starter last season. Perez earned his 10th win of the year by going 4 ⅔ innings of much-needed relief, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out five in the scoreless performance. He threw 64 pitches in his near-five innings of work, demonstrating efficiency and putting up a performance that might have earned him a spot back in the rotation.
In the month of September, Perez has put up a 1.69 ERA in 11 ⅔ innings. He hasn’t given up a run in his last five appearances and was easily the finale’s most valuable player as the bats poured on the runs while he was putting up zeros.
Fully functional lineup – Something seemed to click for Texas in the bottom of the 6th on Tuesday. With two outs and Boston ahead by a run, Adolis Garcia walked, Jonah Heim doubled, and Leody Taveras singled to wrest the lead back, as the Rangers started to look like the kind of offense that got them out to a division lead that lasted for most of the season.
Their performance in the finale signified that as well. This wasn’t just a string of innings with a run here or there, this was a multiple home run, top-to-bottom production effort from an offense that went 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Heim and Mitch Garver went back-to-back in the 2nd to tie the game after Texas trailed 4-0.
Jung smacked his first homer since returning from the injured list, and newcomer Evan Carter chipped in with the second homer of his young career.
Every starting Ranger had a hit and scored a run and seven of the starters drove in at least one run. The lineup struck out just seven times, but they drew seven walks. The Rangers certainly put up a strong showing ahead of an all-too-important showdown with Seattle.
Three Down
The Will Smith problem – Called upon to protect a 2-1 lead in the 8th inning in the opener on Monday, Rangers’ co-closer Will Smith threw eight pitches to Luis Urias, who was hitting .188, and walked him. That was the start of the problems for the veteran. The lefty then gave up a double to catcher Connor Wong before striking out Ceddanne Rafaela. The Rangers then intentionally walked Rafael Devers to load the bases and put the force play on at any base, but Rob Refsnyder ripped a base hit up the middle to give Boston the lead and hand Smith his fifth blown save of the season.
Going back to the trade deadline, Smith has pitched in 17 ⅓ innings over 20 games and has given up 18 runs on 17 hits in that span – good for an 8.27 ERA. The Rangers also have 32 blown saves as a team, the most for the franchise since the 2002 season.
While Smith stepped up and took responsibility for the loss, that is little comfort to a Rangers’ team that needs every win that they can get with the rest of the division flailing and a playoff spot still hanging in the balance. Smith was also brought in in a very low-leverage situation in Wednesday’s finale, with Texas up 15-4. The veteran still managed to give up a run on three hits.
Seager slump? – It seems nearly sacrilegious to put Corey Seager’s name in a negative light, but since the Cleveland series, he’s been in about as close to a slump as we’ve seen from Seager this season.
Since September 15th, the Rangers’ shortstop has gone 3-for-25 with five strikeouts, no walks and just one run batted in. The good news is, with Garcia and Jung back in the lineup, the entire burden to produce runs doesn’t fall on Seager’s shoulders.
Despite this slump, Seager still leads the American League in average and doubles and nearly has 100 RBI – all after missing 40 games this season.
Gray days continue – Wednesday afternoon’s start marked the fourth subpar outing in a row from Jon Gray. Gray found himself down 4-0 after two frames in the finale before being lifted in the third inning. Those four starts, all during September, have resulted in an 8.56 ERA for the month. In just 13 ⅔ innings, Gray has allowed five homers and nine walks with opponents hitting .355 off him.
These issues, along with the improved performance of Martin Perez out of the bullpen, might result in a role switch for the two pitchers. It has certainly been a dramatic fall for the man who had been pitching like Texas’ second-best starting pitcher through most of the first half.
While Gray tries to figure things out, the Rangers must now focus on Seattle. The Mariners, with whom the Rangers hold the tie-breaker thus far with five wins in six games, play Texas seven times in the final 10 games of the season. This stretch of games will be the true decider for which of these division rivals makes the postseason and which one doesn’t. The series with Boston, hopefully, was exactly the warm-up that Texas needed.
Do you think the Rangers have found their groove at the plate again? Share your thoughts with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.
