The Chicago Cubs rolled into Globe Life Field as the hottest team in baseball. Their win streak sat at nine, the last three of which were walk-offs vs. the Cincinnati Reds. Winning Friday night meant it was 10 straight, only for the Rangers to take the series.
Similar results played out vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks. Losing the opener only to close out on a strong note. Somehow, some way, this was a winning homestand for the Rangers. Winning series is the name of the game, and the job got done.
A lot of great moments came out of this one. Let’s start with the highest moment of them all.
Thought 1 – A walk-off winner!
Going into a nine-game road trip off the backs of a blow save would have been pretty tough. Especially when two of them are out on the West Coast, kinda.
Thankfully, the Rangers’ offense continued to do what we have seen a lot this season – fight in the late innings. To this point, no magic had been delivered. Despite some good efforts, ninth-inning moments still resulted in losses.
Danny Jansen finally pulled through and helped the Rangers steal a game.
Every single person involved deserves credit. Josh Jung got things started with a single. Ezequiel Duran seems to produce on a nightly basis, doubling and getting Jung across the plate. Then came Alejandro Osuna’s walk to put the game-winning run on base. Jake Burger needed a clutch moment, tying the game with a single.
To be honest, Jansen was the unlikeliest of heroes. He only played in three games during the homestand. This was his only hit. At the time, I thought best-case scenario was a walk and let Joc Pederson try to spark something.
Jansen wasted no time. A single down the third-base line to generate a notable roar inside a moderately filled Globe Life Park. Signs of life for the ballclub.
Thought 2 – MacKenzie Gore
Hey, if I’m going to spend some time going after Gore following the road trip, props need to be given. What Gore produced on Tuesday may have gone under the radar a little bit. Putting up seven runs was nice to see, and much needed. Even with a tough ninth on Tuesday, there was not much doubt about the game’s result because of the bats. Gore was the star of the show, though.
Length has been a problem for Gore all season. Getting to five innings was considered a success most nights. Long at-bats, whether they resulted in walks or not, previously killed Gore.
Of the eight innings pitched, five of them were in order for Gore. Two others sent one over the minimum. Just 95 pitches were required out of him. His season-high is 106, meaning maybe there was an avenue to go for the complete game. But no complaints about the outing. In fact, nothing but praise for Gore.
Especially considering what the Rangers went through the night before. Nathan Eovaldi was scratched after getting to the ballpark. All of a sudden, Skip Schumaker had a bullpen game to manage. Gore getting chased from the game early, 24 hours later, would have been a disaster.
So, tip of the cap to Gore. As usual, we will ask for a little bit more. Saturday in Houston should be his next start. Hopefully, more length comes with it.
And stop freaking out over A-ball in the Washington Nationals organization.
Thought 3 – Gore is not the only starting pitcher
More than just Gore, from a starting pitching standpoint, stood out.
Jacob deGrom looked like normal Jacob deGrom on Mother’s Day. Seven stress-free innings from deGrom, giving up three hits while walking none and striking out 10.
The night before was Jack Leiter, who had to battle at times. Still, he did a great job getting out of jams he put himself into. No, 4.2 innings with five walks is not ideal. That stat line out of Gore would have brought a considerable amount of frustration. Leiter kept a zero on the board. Considering the opponent, who were on a 10-game winning streak at the time, he gets a pass.
Kumar Rocker was the lone guy to throw twice on the homestand. Wednesday night was better than Friday.
Rocker’s second start and Leiter’s felt similar. 5.0 innings, where walks were the main issue. But the results ended up being the same. Arizona put up zero runs and kept the Rangers in a position to win the game.
Length is going to continue to be a major sticking point for non-deGrom/Eovaldi starters. This bullpen has been nails all season, creeping up to the 150 IP mark already (currently 13th in baseball). You can deal with the five-ish inning outings when keeping the run count down.
But, Gore and deGrom’s starts are also quite welcomed!
Thought 4 – Open. Up. The. Roof.
Take baseball out of the equation for a moment. The Globe Life Field experience is so much better when the roof is open. As somebody who got to attend Wednesday’s game, there is just a different feel. Like you’re actually at a baseball game and not a corporate event.
To be honest, why the default setting appears to be closing the roof is beyond me. When the forecast reads below 90 degrees, open it up. After all, we are Texans. A little bit of heat is not going to hurt anybody. And when the summer months roll around, and things become unbearable outside, we are all thankful that the roof exists.
Now, let’s talk about the baseball side. Two games with the roof open, three home runs. Strangely enough, all of them in the right field corner. Pederson pulled one to start off Tuesday’s game before Duran went opposite field later. Burger then got a go-ahead three-run home run to the same area on Wednesday.
The 13 runs scored with an open roof equals what they scored the entire Cubs series, plus the finale vs. the New York Yankees on April 29.
Of course, small sample size. Any data out there about the roof being open shows more runs are produced. Everybody knows this team’s problem has been scoring runs. So, even if it turns into a mental thing where there is more confidence, just automatically open up the roof if it’s below 90 outside.
Singles
- I’m a little surprised Corey Seager did not get his off day on Wednesday. Taking one in Houston is puzzling. No denying Seager needs a bit of a mental break. This road trip is too important for him not to be right.
- Looks like the Rangers dodged a bullet with Eovaldi. Sunday is his next scheduled start. Seeing him mow down Astros like nothing ever happened would be nice.
- The Jacob Latz eighth-inning or later stat line took a hit on Wednesday. Throwing him back-to-back days was a poor move from Schumaker, even if both were save situations. Latz is inexperienced in the role and still a relatively new reliever. Learning curves, I guess.
- As long as Brandon Nimmo can produce, I do not mind him continuing to play through injuries. Wyatt Langford being out changes the equation. Nimmo’s numbers are something to watch, as the OPS has dipped below .800 for the first time.
- Joc Pederson? Leadoff hitter? The move from Schumaker is a good one when righties are slated to start. Maybe this allows Langford to slide into the five-hole when healthy.
Coming up
Nine games in three cities over 10 days. Yipee!
If you want to know how I feel about this road trip, you can check out a previous story here. These three teams are the worst in baseball thus far, from a record perspective.
Friday marks the return of the Silver Boot. The Rangers have not taken the season series vs. the Astros since 2016. This is easily the worst Houston team since then, meaning a great opportunity is present.
Coors Field will be the site of the middle series of the road trip. Colorado is a lot better than they were a year ago. They are still not very good. To little surprise, they sit dead last in the NL West.
Speaking of dead last – the Los Angeles Angels. Not just in the AL West but all of baseball. Mike Trout’s renaissance has been a fun story to follow. José Soriano still has a sub-two ERA. Everything else… let’s just leave it there.