Rangers road trip thoughts: Texas lose series to Dodgers and Mariners, split another vs. A's

Playing 10 games on the road in 10 days is never an easy feat. Doing so in the Pacific Time Zone is only tougher. That's before even considering the opponents, two of which were in their respective Championship Series a few months ago.

The Rangers head back to Texas 4-6 over the stretch. Let's dive into some thoughts from the road trip:

Thought 1 - Disappointing to come home without a series win

Seeing the Rangers head back from the West Coast without a winning record on the trip isn't all too surprising. Still, it's disappointing when looking back at how things played out in hindsight.

Getting a singular win at Dodger Stadium might be considered a success. Sometimes, you're just playing the Los Angeles Dodgers. The back-to-back world champs are absolutely humming on offense. Not much you can do, unless Jacob deGrom is on the mound. Friday night's loss in Los Angeles does sting... (more on that later).

Splitting a four-game set in Sacramento is probably the toughest pill to swallow. Especially after opening things up with a resounding victory. Watching A's starting pitching dominate on Tuesday and Wednesday was quite frustrating. Only five hits over 11.2 innings vs. Jeffery Springs and J.T. Ginn. More than anything, the wind can be thanked for salvaging a win to close things out.

And then Seattle, it's just not a place the Rangers win. Opening the series with a win was fun, only to crash back to reality. George Kirby and Bryan Woo cruised in their starts, as they seemingly do every single time. T-Mobile Park continues to be haunted ground.

So, disappointing with the ultimate results over 10 days. Opportunities for a 5-5 trip or even a winning one were certainly there. Nicking a series in LA or Seattle, mainly the latter, would have made the overall feeling a lot better.

Thought 2 - Let's talk about second base

This conversation could go in multiple directions. For the most part, looking at the short-term is the goal here. But a quick note when thinking big picture – I don't think the franchise second baseman is currently on the roster.

As for what Skip Schumaker should do to benefit the 2026 season, Ezequiel Duran needs to be starting most nights. Josh Smith is really struggling. And this is not just to begin this year. Smith performed well in the opening stages of '24 and '25 before tailing off. Last year saw Smith post an OPS below .600 in both August and September. Patterns have formed.

Numbers are not much better here for a few weeks. Thursday afternoon vs. the A's was his first extra-base hit of the season. He's striking out twice as much as he's walking. No, Smith is not an automatic out but he certainly gives the least competitive at-bats at the moment.

Duran is a different story.

Now, let's make something clear. Duran is not setting the world on fire, by any means. There is not much slug produced out of his ABs but that's not what the Rangers need out of him, usually in the bottom third of the order. Duran got seven hits on this road trip and is finding a way to get on base. A lot better than anything Smith is putting together in the box.

One drawback to making the switch is the defense provided. We saw a couple of wild plays out of Duran on Saturday night vs. Seattle, which cost the Rangers runs. Smith is a sure hand at 2B, something we grew used to seeing with Semien.

Still, the risk is certainly worth the results the Rangers have gotten. Trade out one piece of the Joey Gallo trade for the other on a routine basis. And likely come back to the position at the trade deadline or this winter.

Thought 3 - The ninth-inning fight is pretty nice to see

One thing about last season was certain, no matter the situation. If the Rangers were down to their final outs, the game was pretty much wrapped up. Ninth-inning rallies were never really a thing. Bullpens shut down this offense with relative ease.

Watching this team at least have a pulse with only three outs remaining has been incredibly refreshing, though. Unfortunately, only one of them produced a positive result – the wacky wind game in Oakland after a dropped pop-up seemingly created a loss. Instead, a nice rally tied the game and eventually turned into a three-run victory.

Friday night in Los Angeles was about as close as it got. Joc Pederson, Josh Jung, and Duran came up clutch to tie the game off Edwin Diaz. A little back-breaking to see Jacob Latz give up the walk-off home run to Max Muncy to follow. Again, sometimes, you're just facing the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Seattle took control of Saturday night's contest, going up 7-1. Yes, the final score reads 7-3 in favor of the Mariners. Nimmo still came to the plate as the tying run with the bases loaded and forced Andrés Muñoz into the game. A moral victory? Maybe.

At the very least, you know this lineup is not going to rollover and die in the latter stages of games. Multiple occurrences have begun to stack up against quality pitching staffs. Feels safe thinking the Rangers will be able to steal a game or two throughout the summer.

Thought 4 - Something feels just a tick off, and it might be…

Believe this term is usually reserved for football. You are what your record says you are. So, the record tells us the Rangers are a .500 club. Said this before – considering the preseason projections of the teams on the schedule, not the worst results.

I feel like this team is playing better than what the record tells us. Some more thought on exactly what is holding them back from ripping off more than the three-game sweep of Seattle might be required. More than what these next few paragraphs indicate.

The offense: a lot better. Maybe not being able to take full advantage of potential rallies is the difference right now. The RISP numbers are not horrible by any means, currently sitting middle of the road in all of baseball. Could it be relying on home runs too much? Where’s the ripping double in the gap with multiple guys on base?

Even better than the offense has been the bullpen. Late-game struggles have been documented, specifically from Robert Garcia and Chris Martin. Guys are continuing to flash out of there. Little to no blame for these losses can be put on the bullpen.

Starting pitching is where the finger needs to be pointed to. But not the quality of starts. The length the Rangers got during this 10-game stretch was less than ideal. Only three games saw more than 15 outs recorded by the starter – Jacob deGrom vs. the Dodgers, Nathan Eovaldi vs. the A’s, and Jack Leiter vs. the A’s. All of them were wins. If nothing else, an interesting trend over a road trip.

Something is just a tick off right now, as not everything is clicking in unison. The record should be better than what it reads in the official standings. 

(Now, to steal another football thought process.) Let’s see if the Rangers can return home to Globe Life Field and find a way to put together some complete performances from all three roster phases.

Singles

• Josh Jung, HEATER. I don't know if anyone enjoyed being on the road more than him the last 10 days. He recorded a hit in all but two of the games. He probably deserved a full thought in this piece.
• Consider me a fan of Gavin Collyer. The Rangers desperately need some velocity in the bullpen and he brings it. That sweeper is pretty dang nasty too. Rooting for him to find a role here big-time.
• Corey Seager is not paid by the Texas Rangers to hit for average. That being said, he is not finding too many hits early on. He sat under .200 at one point on the trip before picking up a few. Yes, a minor gripe because when making contact, positive things are happening. Don't sleep on how often he is walking as well.
• Four of the five appearances this trip for Jacob Latz were in the eighth inning or later. 3.2 innings, three hits, two runs.
• Y'all see what's happening in Houston?

Coming up

After a long road trip, a nine-game homestand is on deck for the Rangers. A large sample size of offense at Globe Life Field is coming our way, and against some pretty good pitching.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are first up. Fortunately for the Rangers, Paul Skenes does not appear set to pitch. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh has one of the sport's top rotations. Rookie Bubba Chandler will enter the series with the worst ERA of the three projected starters, coming in at 3.15. And this ain't last year's Pirates offense.

Another look at the (Sacramento?) A's follow. Splitting the set will not be an option this time, only playing three games.

Finally, the New York Yankees come to town to close out the month of April. One can hope two of the American League's top teams, by record, are facing off.