ARLINGTON, Texas — Just before the All-Star Break the Texas Rangers played nine games against the Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Washington Nationals. They lost all three series by winning the first game and dropping the final two - not exactly the kind of ending the first-place team in the division wanted heading into the break.
The Rangers’ lead in the AL West, which was six games heading into July, had dwindled to only two. And waiting for them after the break was a nine-game homestand that includes six games in a row against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But this weekend, the Rangers welcomed the Cleveland Guardians to begin that homestand, and they swept the Guardians out of town in three games. Did the All-Star break revitalize the team?
On the latest edition of the Locked On Rangers podcast, host Brice Paterik discussed the big sweep of Cleveland and how important it is for Texas to keep its foot on the pedal.
First, Paterik talked about the games leading up to the break and how “It was coming crashing back down to earth for the Rangers” after they started off so strong. Paterik also joked about how the “Rangers fan PTSD kicked in” because it wasn’t just at the start of July; the last two weeks of June saw the Rangers having issues winning series and, in some cases, against beatable teams. So coming out of the break with a sweep against the Guardians was a huge boost for them.
And as Paterik said, “It was the way they beat the Guardians.”
In game one, on Friday night, the Rangers won 12-4 behind an explosive offensive performance which included four home runs and a 4-4 night from Nathaniel Lowe, who hit one of those home runs.
On Saturday, a combination of Andrew Heaney, Grant Anderson, Will Smith, and Aroldis Chapman shut out Cleveland 2-0. Cleveland was 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. The Rangers weren’t exactly hitting the cover off the ball either, but their pitching was the star of this one.
Then in the finale on Sunday, Texas came from behind in the bottom of the eighth inning scoring four runs and winning 6-5 thanks to back-to-back-to-back singles by Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis Garcia, and Josh Jung.
The key for Texas going forward if they want to hold onto the division lead and take the crown away from the Astros is to keep winning series. They have the offense to do it. They just need their starting pitching to get back to the way it was in May when everything was going right for all the starters, even with the absence of Jacob deGrom.
The addition of Chapman to the bullpen could be a big one if he returns to form—he struck out Myles Straw swinging to end the game on Saturday on a 102 MPH fastball.
The next six games against the Rays and the Dodgers are a big test for the Rangers, and if they pass it, it could give them the confidence to finish the year strong and finally end Houston’s reign over the AL West.
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