Guess who’s back? Back again? If your answer is Slim Shady, you’re not wrong, but also not quite who I’m referring to. The Texas Rangers are back, and firmly in the hunt for the AL West division title. Since the All-Star break, the Rangers are 4-2 and in the midst of a 4-game winning streak. Sure, three of those wins have come against the League’s worst team (Chicago White Sox), but they are wins nonetheless. Ask any player in the League and they’ll tell you that winning is hard at the professional level, even if their opponent is 27-77.
As of today, the Rangers are 3 games back from the Houston Astros for the AL West lead, and 2 games back from the Seattle Mariners. Since the break, neither the Astros nor the Mariners have given their fan bases the confidence they were looking for to start the second half. The Astros are 3-3 since the break, and the Mariners are 1-5 including being swept by the struggling Angels. No team has been an offensive threat thus far in the second half, but an argument can be made that the Ranger bats are starting to come alive following their 10-2 win over the White Sox.
Since the break, Texas’ offense has been highlighted by guys the team needs to get going for a playoff run to be possible. Nathaniel Lowe leads the team in all offensive categories since the break, including a .316 average, 2 homers and 5 RBI’s. Leody Taveras is also hitting above .300 and Semien/Seager/Garcia are all finding their groove and coming up big with runners in scoring position, as well as with 2 outs.
Last night (7/24) the Rangers bats came to life, starting with a Corey Seager homer in the bottom of the first inning. Seager would go on to finish the day 4-for-5 with a HR, 2B, RBI and 3 R scored. Adolis Garcia would finish 3-for-5 with a 2B, 2 RBI and 2 R scored. Nathaniel Lowe put the exclamation point on the night, going 2-for-4 with HR, BB, 4 RBI and 1 R scored. His 8th inning, 3-run blast gave the Rangers the 10 spot on the scoreboard. It might be an overreaction to say the Rangers are all the way back, but then again it might be exactly where this team is heading.
One of the biggest keys to their 4-game winning streak has been the offensive production with two outs. During these four wins, the Rangers are 17-for-50 (.340 BA) with two outs, including 7 BB and 2 HR. They have scored 20 runs over these four games, 14 of which were scored with two outs. They have received contributions all throughout the lineup, a recipe for success that is beginning to mirror the likes of their 2023 offense. Don’t forget that one of those four wins included a walk-off win provided by rookie sensation, Wyatt Langford.
The first half of the season was a gauntlet, and yet the Rangers managed to stay above water even with the offense being absent at times. Injuries did not help their cause as they lost Josh Jung and Evan Carter and Max Scherzer for significant portions of time. They also had to shorter stints missing Corey Seager, Nathaniel Lowe, Dane Dunning, Jon Gray, Nathan Eovaldi and Marcus Semien event took his first day off in over two years. All this, and we still haven’t seen the return of Tyler Mahle or Jacob deGrom to this point. If health becomes a strength rather than a weakness, this team could be poised to run the table these last two months.
Another key note is the ease of scheduling they will face in the second half. The Rangers boast the fourth easiest remaning schedule in all of baseball, second easiest remaining schedule in the American League. With an offense that is starting to fire on all cylinders, a rotation that has been the heartbeat of the team gaining impactful arms down the stretch, and key returners in Jung and Carter finding their home in the lineups again, the AL West might just be the Rangers’ division to lose.
A lot can change in the final 60 games of the 2024 season. First thing’s first, let’s complete the sweep of the White Sox this afternoon, and embark on a 6-game road trip that could produce even more wins facing the Blue Jays and Cardinals. If we can extend the streak, and cut the division lead each day, who knows who the Rangers might be buying before the Trade Deadline.
