In what is becoming an all-too-familiar feeling, the Rangers are heading back home with a losing road trip. Two series were dropped against the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees. Both series felt winnable at certain points, only to fall apart in similar situations.
Texas is now three games under .500 but somehow only two games back of the AL West. This season continues to be an interesting one, some good and bad.
Now, let’s get into this past road trip, starting with the lone guy who made two starts on the mound.
Thought 1 – MacKenzie Gore
On Thursday morning, I joked with my brother. “If Gore goes more than five innings, we should throw a parade.” Well, wish granted. Maybe I need to start organizing a parade.
What took place after the sixth inning began turned into Gore’s demise. Two walks and a hit loaded the bases for Trent Grishman, who then cleared them thanks to a poor defensive route from Alejandro Osuna. Once again, Gore could not put together a clean outing, and the Rangers lost as a result.
Thursday was the first time since the home opener that Gore extended past the fifth inning. Friday in Detroit saw him leave at 3.2 innings on 94 pitches. His spot in the rotation is becoming a problem. Walks are a huge issue, leading to poor length and turning into a lot of bullpen usage. Averaging less than 5.0 IP every outing is straight up not good enough.
When Chris Young made this trade, I was a big fan. Gore flashed in 2025 with Washington before an injury took over his season. The potential was – and still is – there for him. Fans got upset about shipping away five prospects. At the time, I didn’t mind because this organization is attempting to win now.
Young had the right idea. So far, it’s not going well. Producing like Nathan Eovaldi or Jacob deGrom isn’t the goal. The Rangers are going to need more than 13-15 outs every time Gore is out there, though.
Thought 2 – Defense wins championships
Or in the case of the road trip, defense loses games. And series.
Sunday night vs. Detroit and Thursday afternoon vs. New York can mostly get chalked up to poor defense. Nobody is particularly safe from criticism – outfield, infield, the catchers.
Careless mistakes in the primetime game cost Jack Leiter what should have been a beauty of a start. The seven players behind him were not up to par with what the Rangers have been in years past.
Evan Carter had an uncharacteristically poor day in center field. Jake Burger allowed a runner to advance to second when he pointlessly threw a ball to third, which turned into runs for Detroit. The Tigers took full advantage, getting a much-needed win for their club.
Four days later, sending Joc Pederson to play right field…. a decision. To be fair, it’s a somewhat understandable one. Skip Schumaker wants Pederson’s bat in the lineup and Brandon Nimmo needs to protect the hamstring by DHing. Well, the ball found Pederson right away and the Yankees got two triples. Probably not a defensive alignment we want to see again.
As mentioned, Osuna had a poor sixth inning in New York. The bullpen wasn’t great in this specific game. However, tough to blame them after the floodgates were already open.
Losing Adolis Garcia and Marcus Semien in the offseason always meant the defensive numbers were going to drop. As bad as their bats were, they are Gold Glove-caliber players. So, while those specific positions were not a part of the problem, this is the first time defensive woes really took over games.
Thought 3 – The lack of timely hitting
This might be the most frustrating aspect of what is currently going wrong for the Rangers.
Guys are getting on base at an okay clip. The team’s OBP sat at .316 entering Thursday, where league average was .322. Plenty of situations are popping up for the Rangers to come through with a clutch moment and change the dynamic of a game with a crooked number. But they aren’t happening.
Even some of the hits that do come with runners in scoring position are not driving them in. First and second, only for a weak single to take place. Then, the bases are loaded. And speaking of…
MLB.com’s Kennedi Landry put out some damning numbers during Tuesday’s game in New York. Now, these have not been updated with two more games’ worth of data. But it perfectly paints the picture.
The Rangers offense this season:
-.697 OPS w/ RISP (21st in MLB)
-.365 OPS w/ bases loaded (30th in MLB)Entering today:
– .741 OPS was league average w/ RISP
– .749 OPS was league average w/ the bases loaded— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) May 6, 2026
Having a .365 OPS with the bases loaded should be an impossible number. It pretty much distracts you from the OPS with RISP, which also isn’t great. The stat is that bad. Laugh out loud funny bad.
I’m not sure how often teams are supposed to hit three-run home runs or better. But the last one for the Rangers came in on April 23 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates. Corey Seager got one off Bubba Chandler, a game the Rangers won.
An ounce of good, situational hitting changes this team’s dynamic. Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium turns into an easy win with it. Unfortunately, the games stack up, and the series losses continue as a result.
Thought 4 – The unlikeliest player is shining for the Rangers
Can you believe it? Ezequiel Duran is the Rangers’ second-best hitter at the moment, only trailing Josh Jung. What a statement in 2026, considering what has taken place since Duran fell off a clip during the 2023 season.
Duran has a hit in five straight games, catching fire on the road. Of the seven total, four of them were for extra bases. Two doubles, a triple, and a home run on the getaway day.
Commanding the strike zone is, somehow, a newfound strength for Duran. Five walks are on the road trip stat sheet too.
The OPS for Duran is up to .879. Just incredible. In a team where there is not much (positive) consistency, he has been the guy.
I don’t think there is much debate about Duran being in the lineup moving forward. He recently got moved up to the two-hole, hitting between Nimmo and Corey Seager. Position versatility is there as long as Langford is out of the lineup. The Rangers have to ride the hot hand.
Singles
- Jack Leiter was magical on Sunday Night Baseball. The defense completely let him down, inflating his stat line. Leiter is the most promising thing going in this organization right now.
- If you could pick a ‘We sure could use some production out of him’ guy, the answer is undoubtedly Evan Carter. Langford is not coming back anytime soon. His bat needs to start popping a little more often. Hitting a home run on Wednesday night was a good sign.
- A nice road trip for Andrew McCutchen, who previously had only three hits since the two opening series. I still wonder if the experiment is something the Rangers want to continue on with. But if the other option is going to be Sam Haggerty, I guess you ride with the veteran.
- Copy and paste what I said about Nathan Eovaldi after the homestand. Dude just loves facing the New York Yankees.
- The lack of Major League-caliber depth is beginning to show, a little bit. Hate to single out Justin Foscue but we have been down this road before. Current bench options are not inspiring much confidence. Injuries are part of the equation, no doubt.
- I can still believe the Rangers’ OPS with the bases loaded. .365!
Coming Up
Home sweet home. For the pitchers, at least. Even in the losses, Rangers hitters might enjoy stepping to the plate in opposing ballparks for the time being.
Unfortunately, another one of MLB’s best teams is scheduled to spend the weekend at Globe Life Field. The Chicago Cubs, who are off a four-game mopping of the Cincinnati Reds, are scorching hot. If you want lineup depth, check out what the Cubs bring to town.
From there, maybe we can exhale a little bit when it comes to the schedule. A World Series rematch, three years later, takes place with the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are a team struggling too, currently 3-7 in their last 10 before a series vs. the New York Mets.