Optimism was sky-high as recently as Monday. The positive mood continued by opening the series vs. Tampa Bay with a win. Since then, the Rangers collapsed on themselves and lost five straight. Three of those came at the hands of the Houston Astros, receiving a sweeping over the weekend from the AL West foe.
Staying afloat was the goal ahead of the trade deadline. Instead, the Rangers are on the verge of sinking – both short-term and long-term. If heads call completely underwater, this road trip will be the stretch we all point to.
Not a lot of positivity in this one. So, naturally, let's dive into it with a non-doomsday thought.
Thought 1 - Joc Pederson and his value in the lineup
Ahead of Saturday's game, Joc Pederson was named the Player of the Month for July. Well deserved due to his numbers, where Pederson hit six home runs, batted .305, and had an OPS of 1.047. Fantastic stuff from Pederson and likely what Chris Young imagined when signing him two offseasons ago.
The value Pederson brings is hard to explain. Ever since he moved to the leadoff spot, there is just a different feeling around the lineup. This road trip might provide the best example, as the Rangers faced two lefties vs. the Rays. Pederson started on the bench in both and was certainly missed, only getting two at-bats in the two losses at the Trop.
One of those turned into a run on Thursday, a game in which the Rangers only scored two.
A few weeks ago, Pederson being out of the lineup was not the biggest threat in the world – even with his success. Justin Foscue was doing such a great job vs. lefties that he filled the specialty role quite nicely. Recent times have been tough, though. Foscue is hitting .111 over the last two weeks with just two hits in 18 ABs.
Now, the level of faith I have in the Rangers producing with Pederson out of the lineup is close to zero. And, hey, they didn't do much with him in the lineup anyway. None of that is his fault.
Skip Schumaker has to play the matchup game, even if Pederson does put together solid plate appearances against fellow southpaws. But you can just feel the lineup's overall dropoff without him in there.
Thought 2 - Thursday afternoon deflation
Remember Monday afternoon? The Rangers had a chance to take a series from the Mariners, and a big one at that? Almost everything went right and momentum felt at an all-time high. Great win for the team, setting them up nicely a week ahead of the trade deadline.
Four days later, the same pregame feelings popped up. Nerves, mainly, as there was a chance to take a road series vs. a first-place Rays. Unfortunately, the postgame feeling was the complete opposite – deflation. What could have gone against the Rangers did.
The Sterling Marte go-ahead home run off Ben Peoples in the 8th was the loudest "You've got to be kidding me" I've let out in a while. Baseball stadiums are weird and have their little quirks. Marte would have only gotten a homer in seven of the 30 MLB ballparks. The game just happened to be in one of them.
Flash forward to the ninth, where Evan Carter must have thought he tied the game with a drive to right field. Nicky Lopez was on first base and easily would have scored due to Victor Mesa Jr.'s positioning and a presumed bounce off the wall. Instead, Mesa made an incredible catch.
Other offensive chances were there. The Rangers left nine people on base. In the end, two runs.
This was trending to be Schumaker's best win as a manager. A bullpen game with multiple in-game decisions. Instead, key moments went against the Rangers on a Thursday afternoon. Once again, a deflating feeling, and one that maybe went into the weekend.
Thought 3 - Aces on the mound when you needed it the most. And the results stunk.
Leaving Tampa Bay, my prevailing/slightly optimistic thought was, "Okay, got Eovaldi and deGrom going in Houston. Let's win the series."
Well, about that.
In two games the Rangers desperately needed, neither one of the aces showed up. Some might say they were pretty bad. Combined, Eovaldi and deGrom threw 8.1 innings, giving up 11 runs, 17 hits, six walks, and striking out just eight. Put me in the crowd that considers that pretty bad from your two guys.
deGrom has been far from vintage deGrom in 2026. Or even a step below vintage deGrom. The same can be said about Eovaldi. His ERA sits at 4.31, and deGrom is not too far behind at 3.96. Unfathomable, really.
And even in a year where not much has gone well for them, Friday and Saturday were incredibly tough watches. These games mattered the most, at least in the timeframe of 2026. Not getting an okay outing, let alone a shutdown performance, from either one almost doesn't compute.
Thought 4 - Pure Houston Astros dominance, again
Straight up, the Astros kick our ass. There is no other way to phrase it. Every single time the Silver Boot Series takes place, Houston not only wins, but dominates.
Yes, this is with the 2023 ALCS taken into account. The Rangers forever have bragging rights there, winning the one series that matters more than whatever has ever taken place in the regular season. Adolis Garcia, we thank you.
Even so, the regular season scale is so heavy on Houston side, they, at best, wash each other out.
The tide in the rivalry turned in 2017. Since then, the Astros have won the Boot nine times. And the lone non-win was in 2020 when the two teams won five apiece in a shortened season. Plenty of bigger goals exist than taking home the Silver Boot, no matter how an individual season series plays out. Over a decade, though. C'mon, man.
This is easily the most "emotional" thought I've had doing these pieces in 2026. Rivalries matter – it's why college football is the other sport that has my heart.
Nothing is better than winning and dominating rivalries, while the worst feeling in the world is losing them. This is true in every sport, no matter how invested you are. And emotions are quite invested in the Rangers around here.
Thought 5 - Doing nothing might be the best course of action at the trade deadline
The time for Young to make trades was a long time ago. Around here, the call for action was in the beginning of June. Everyone knew what results would come from this general roster, with or without injuries. Expectations turned out to be true, as the team failed to launch too far past .500 and now sits two games under and 2.5 back in the division. Window missed.
Doing nothing, in the big picture, might be the best course of action for Monday. If some more relief help is needed, sure, go get another arm. Chase Silseth provides control moving forward. Maybe there is a rental out there Young feels like can help, especially after Jakob Junis went on the IL. Low-leverage rentals aren't really the point of conversation here.
Bats are where the trades are going to get pricey. Does the lineup need another bat? Absolutely. Is it juice worth the squeeze right now? Probably not.
And what does selling do for you? Who is considered a worthy asset for other teams right now? Pederson, maybe. Corey Seager is probably the right answer, and maybe it happens before 5 p.m. Monday, I don't know. His value, along with Eovaldi and deGrom, is probably at the lowest-ever point. Doesn't make much sense to move them.
The financial aspect is clearly hindering Young, in some capacity. Whether Ray Davis does not want to get over the CBT threshold again or there are pauses about what will happen with 2027 hasn't been fully relayed to the public directly from the front office. Not an excuse by any means but certainly a partial explanation.
Nine times out of 10, I'd be quick to tell you doing nothing is a poor process. I'm willing to let things just play out as is. Best-case scenario, potential is reached and an AL West is won thanks to an easy schedule the final two months. Worst-case, the team finishes right around 81-81. Reset in the offseason when major answers are provided – internally and in baseball as a whole.
Thought 6 - As for what they actually might do...
Ken Rosenthal began Sunday by releasing an article, saying Young's course of action might be determined by Sunday's result. Big names were thrown out there, including Seager, deGrom, and Eovaldi.
"Their owner, Ray Davis, cut payroll by nearly $40 million from last season to this one," Rosenthal said via The Athletic. "And with a lockout looming, he might want to go further still."
Rosenthal did not say for sure whether or not Young would offload big names. Pederson and Junis were also mentioned, but those are expiring contracts. The franchise does not alter by shipping them elsewhere. The other three names, it's a complete reset. The 2026 season is over, and 2027/2028 – whenever teams take the field again – becomes a new era of Rangers baseball.
Monday will be full of stress and refreshing Twitter. Davis wanting to cut payroll is, sadly, all too believable. It might wind up costing the Rangers some organizational heroes and legends as a result.
Thought 7 - Which leads to the 7th inning on Sunday
All of this in mind meant Sunday's game was pretty important! Moving past the idea of a single baseball game deciding something of that magnitude, winning felt like the required result. Which is not exactly where you want to be against the Houston Astros in Daikan Park.
What took place in the first six innings and the final two will probably evaporate into history. What possibly could be remembered forever, depending on the next 24+ hours, is the 7th inning. Maybe nothing comes of the trade deadline and this sequence also leaves my memory. Maybe it remains there forever.
First, the Nicky Lopez called third strike, horrible. At the same time, Elias Diaz was aggressive with challenges early in the game. Those get saved for late/critical situations for a reason. Yes, a bad call from the umpire. Still, couldn't get it overturned due to your own actions.
Does Joc Pederson do anything in a tied game with the bases loaded? This season tells us no, as the Rangers' OPS of .458 with runners everywhere continues to be incomprehensible. But we will never know.
Schumaker rightfully got tossed in the middle of the inning. Some frustration from the road trip probably got let out there. His fight with the umpire apparently got paused due to "God Bless America" playing. While there is no video, a hilarious visual to imagine.
Flipping to the bottom half, it's just as bad, if not worse. Tyler Alexander had two men on base before he could blink. Cole Winn then came in, and from that instance, the game was gone. Winn has not delivered in high-leverage or clutch scenarios for a while. Absolutely nothing changed as Winn gave up three hits and walked another. Who else but Yordan Alvarez slammed the door shut on any kind of comeback with a two-out double to score two?
Winn just cannot be the guy to call out of the bullpen in that moment. And, at the same time, there was no other option.
So, the Rangers went from a bases-loaded scenario with Pederson walking up to the plate at 3-3 to down 7-3. A frustrating inning in a normal game. Bake all the outside implications into the situation, and it's as devastating a sequence as I can remember in a long, long, long time.
Singles
- Hey, welcome back, Corey Seager. Three hits in three games, not a bad way to return from the IL. Assuming he remains with the team, Seager is going to face a lot of pressure these next two months. He needs to get back to slugging.
- Consider me a fan of the Silseth and Logan O'Hoppe trade. Silseth helps now, and both figure to be part of future plans. Angel Arredondo has a .769 OPS in Hickory this season. You live with whatever the results might be every single time.
- Josh Jung's injury does not seem okay like everyone thought after the initial moment. Similar-ish to Pederson, you can feel his absence in a big way. Who else would you rather have up in a key RBI situation than Jung?
- Elias Diaz hitting a homer on Saturday was good to see. Overall, his production dip is hurting. Austin Wynns going out there (offensively) two times a week is unacceptable. Injuries, I know.
Coming Up
After 13 straight high-stress games, the stakes aren't exactly getting lower. The quality of opponent will, maybe. Seattle isn't exactly good and who knows what Houston might be able to do.
Anyways, the miserable San Francisco Giants will be at Globe Life Field on Monday night. Everyone expects their roster to be decimated by the trade deadline, which only makes the opportunity bigger. Who knows, maybe somebody ends up just walking across the field to the Rangers' dugout.
The Baltimore Orioles represent the middle position of a nine-game homestand. Similar vibes surround Texas and Baltimore – nobody quite knows what to make of them in a not-great American League. Similar line as above: let's see what Monday brings.
Back to miserable and the Los Angeles Angels. Already a pretty bad ballclub, they appear to be on track to get even worse in 2026. Between them and San Francisco, the Rangers are facing two must-win series, where 4-2 in those specific games is probably the bare, bare minimum.
