Hope everyone did not get too comfortable in Globe Life Field. Just three games took place in the home park against the Cleveland Guardians before hitting the road again. Thankfully, the homestand turned into a good one for the Rangers.
At the end of the day, winning series is the goal. And Cleveland currently tops the AL Central, meaning they are no slouch. Maybe not the most inspiring offensive performances on Friday and Saturday but Sunday sure made up for it.
Let’s dive into what took place in Arlington over the weekend.
Thought 1 – The return of Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford
Seager and Langford’s return was a huge deal for this team. The offense has been pretty good recently, even with those guys on the IL. Now, putting them in the top portion of the lineup on a nightly basis should turn out to be a huge boost. We got a small sample size of it this weekend.
The Rangers did not look too interested in hitting on Friday night. Parker Messick was dominant through five innings before allowing a Kyle Higashioka home run.
Three batters later, Texas had taken the lead. Langford hit a double into left field, and Seager took a first-pitch, left-on-left slider the opposite direction for a home run. A pretty good sign that Seager feels okay. Oh, and he also broke a 0-29 drought he was in dating back to before the injury.
Seager got another hit on Saturday before taking the day off to close the series. Which is what he needs more than anything. His batting average is still well under .200, now climbing. If Seager can just get the ball to fall for hits, it completely changes everything. This offense’s ceiling always has and always will be dependent on Seager.
Langford got back on the home run train too, crushing one to left field during Sunday’s blowout victory. Good to see some slug coming from his bat after a lengthy injury. Production from Langford brings much-needed lineup length.
So far, so good from both guys. Big, big boosts.
Thought 2- Jacob deGrom… Cy Young conversations?
I don’t think anyone would say deGrom is having an incredibly special season. Sure, some gems have been produced by the future Hall of Famer. Sunday was another one, getting six shutout innings. Just three hits and two walks against, while striking out six. His season ERA is down to 3.18. But the home runs against have been a season-long issue and the IP aren’t anything to write home about.
Would you believe me if I said deGrom has the second-best American League Cy Young odds? He shares the spot with Dylan Cease, who has not pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays in two weeks. Cam Schlittler (rightfully so) leads the bunch.
Most of the baseball world’s attention is on the National League Cy Young race. Nobody should really blame them — it’s turning out to be a historic race. The AL’s star power took a big hit with Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet going down. Skubal seems close to a return but Crochet was recently moved to the 60-day IL.
To be honest, I would not have guessed deGrom is where he is in the odds. It was never really a thought until they flashed on MLB Network earlier in the week. Two solid outings vs. Cleveland and St. Louis have me thinking about it a whole lot more, though.
We discussed wins when it comes to deGrom’s Hall of Fame case. What would help a whole lot more than more wins would be a top-three Cy Young finish. Winning the award might make him a lock in everybody’s eyes. Doing so would be quite special for him and this entire franchise, which has never seen one.
Right now, still feels like a stretch. Schlittler is going to need to get banged up multiple times to shorten the ERA gap. 5.2 innings of one-run ball vs. Boston on Sunday kept him sub-two on the season. His FIP is also top three in baseball, only behind Christopher Sanchez and Jacob Misiorowski.
deGrom is certainly one of the AL’s top pitchers at the moment. If nothing else, something to observe moving forward. His next start should come Saturday night in Boston.
Thought 3 – Prolonged success, finally, for the Rangers
For the first time this season, the Rangers have won three consecutive series. A sweep of Kansas City got the ball rolling before winning two of three vs. St. Louis and Cleveland. The last two teams are currently in playoff spots, meaning this run isn’t against nobodies.
In total, it’s seven wins in the last nine games. The offense is averaging over five runs per game across the stretch, six of which were without Langford and Seager. Starting pitchers have gone at least six innings in four of them. And Leiter got 5.2 innings during his start in St. Louis.
This is undoubtedly the best baseball the Rangers have played over a prolonged period. And it comes at a time when it feels like overall health just took a positive reset.
Getting to .500 is the next step, still sitting one game under. You cannot deny this positive trend after hitting low, low moments during the nine-game road trip and at home vs. Houston.
Singles
- Some big praise for Higashioka, who has seen his season OPS raised by 100 points in the month of June. His six hits over four appearances have turned into four runs.
- Good to see Josh Smith getting back on the field. Reports state his rehab will be a longer curve. Will be interesting to see what his role will be when back on the MLB roster, and what the front office does with Nicky Lopez.
- Another move down on the farm worth writing down – Alejandro Osuna playing first base. Does Jake Burger need to be looking out?
Coming Up
You like winning series? Well, two more winnable ones come next week as the Rangers once again hit the road.
First will be the return fixtures at Kauffman Stadium against the Royals beginning Tuesday night. Sweeping them not too long ago, Kansas City has bounced back by winning four of six. Both teams walk onto the field following a Monday off day.
Of note, Bobby Witt Jr. left Sunday’s game with knee soreness.
The Rangers will then fly up to New England for the annual Fenway Park trip. The Red Sox were my pick to represent the AL in the World Series and have massively disappointed.
Boston is home to one of the best bullpens in baseball. Getting to their starters will be key to winning games.