Texas homestand thoughts: Rangers churn out four wins vs. Nationals, Angels

Dave Raymond opened Sunday's broadcast with a question. How are the Rangers in an opportunity to produce a winning homestand, considering the offensive production? The answer – nobody knows. But they did it. The Rangers took four of six games against the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels.

Beating bad teams at home, exactly what you expect this time of year. Even if the record is now one game under .500, this team is looking to make the playoffs. Win the series you are supposed to win.

Some history was made along the way too. Let's dive into the 4-2 homestand, as the Rangers stay afloat.

Thought 1 - Jacob deGrom and strikeout No. 2,000

We got a near-vintage performance from Jacob deGrom on Thursday night. In six innings, he allowed just one hit, gave up one walk, and struck out 10. One of those strikeouts meant a lot more than the rest, though. Strikeout No. 2 of the night was strikeout No. 2,000 in deGrom's career.

A pretty special moment, and Globe Life Field met the moment well. In a vacuum, Thursday night against the Nationals does not exactly scream well-attended game. Still, fans got to their feet and applauded deGrom for the milestone.

It's tough not to talk big-picture when deGrom reaches certain marks. His Hall of Fame case is fascinating and maybe changes how things look in Cooperstown.

I was a little more interested in the small-picture aspect of the occasion. Afterwards, deGrom spoke like somebody who is incredibly invested in getting into the playoffs. More importantly, doing so as a member of the Texas Rangers. As if turning down the Atlanta Braves trade and his post-deadline comments were not enough.

"I've been fortunate to play this game for a while," deGrom said. "And like I told the guys in [the clubhouse], so excited to be here and do it with that group. We got each other's backs. We've got to play really good baseball from here on out and try to get in the playoffs. That's the main goal right now and hopefully, do something special in October."

Look, say what you want about the on-field performance of this team. Obviously, thoughts get shared here after every series, and this homestand was not all too exciting. The guys in the clubhouse certainly care.

Don't believe me? Go back to Tuesday night and watch Seager get a hustle double. When's the last time you saw something like that?

deGrom appears to be the ringleader. He gets saluted after base hits. I'd imagine watching the 2023 World Series from the dugout stung, and the ace pitcher wants a taste of his own. Pretty cool to hear from a guy making $38 million after a major personal achievement.

Thought 2 - The offense? It stinks

Incredibly brutal homestand for the offense. Fourteen runs scored, 10 of which came in two games. Seager might be the only big name in the lineup currently trending positively. At one point, Seager had multiple hits in five straight games. His OPS is now above league average.

It's not like any special opposing pitchers were on the mound either. Sure, Cade Cavalli is having a really nice 2026 for the Nationals. Reid Detmers has had success against the Rangers too but still hasn't put up great numbers throughout the year.

Now, a lot of lefties trotted out there against the Rangers. This puts Joc Pederson on the bench to start the game. He usually pinch-hits once a right-handed reliever is out there but lefty starters take away an extra AB or two from Pederson – who is struggling right no, no matter how often he is at the plate.

Ezequiel Duran deserves some love for his homestand performance. Eight hits and three walks plus an energizing home run on Sunday afternoon. At least he is getting some kind of action out there on the bases. Maybe Skip Schumaker should be putting him in the cleanup spot.

Everyone else? I've got nothing. Offensive innings go by quickly, and the concept of timely hitting is nonexistent. Almost every night, I think, 'Man, I wish Josh Jung was up there right now.' His injury doesn't sound great, meaning those thoughts will continue.

This is just reality at the moment. Games are not going to be won because of the bats. Tough pill to swallow in late August, while technically being in a playoff race.

Thought 3 - Hand up, the starting rotation has been fantastic

Before the Rangers headed home, I thought things would get shaky for the rotation. No Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, or Jack Leiter. Kumar Rocker had thrown way more innings than in years past. Not a fantastic recipe.

I could not have been more wrong. Rocker, technically, had the worst outing of the homestand. In five innings pitched, he gave up two runs on six hits and a walk, while only striking out three. A good, not great performance, and one you can win a baseball game with.

Cody Bradford was slightly better than Rocker on Saturday. deGrom was fantastic, as was MacKenzie Gore.

A special shoutout goes to Cal Quantrill. Between two starts this week, he went 13 shutout innings. Opposing Nationals and Angels hitters had 10 hits, struck out 11 times, and did not draw a walk. It's been a really good stretch for Quantrill here but those are elite back-to-back performances.

Let's see what happens moving forward. Neither Washington (at least in its current state) or the Angels are some kind of offensive powerhouse. But if you're looking to thank somebody for a winning homestand, start with Quantrill and his rotation buddies.

Thought 4 - Somehow, someway, they're staying alive

Playoff race? Sure. I guess technically they are in a playoff race. Any other season, the Rangers are probably multiple games out. Baseball would become an afterthought to most in Dallas as football season ramps up.

Thankfully, the American League is historically bad. The American League West is historically bad. Thanks to Sunday's win, the Rangers are tied for first place in the division. They are also tied for the third and final Wild Card spot.

Making the playoffs would be a big deal for the franchise, no matter how average the record looks. If you're reading this, I imagine you know it's only been once in the last decade. Playing playoff baseball would be a lot of fun to watch, even if the fun only lasts two or three games.

So, to close out August and September, let's run the race. How much faith is there to get over the finish line? Still not much on my end.

Admittedly, scoreboard watching is tough because so many teams are involved in the AL Wild Card. The Houston Astros keep on losing, and I've considered the Seattle Mariners dead for weeks. The AL West is certainly still attainable, if not the most viable option.

Singles

• The Rangers have gone about Logan O'Hoppe perfectly. Raking in Round Rock brought back some confidence. Now, he can get out there vs. LHP, likely as a DH, since Elias Diaz and Danny Jansen are still on the roster. Seems like three more years of control now remain for O'Hoppe too.
• Not sure what the AL Utility Gold Glove race currently looks like. Ezequiel Duran deserves it. He can literally do everything out there. Sunday brought a start in center. May as well let him catch one day for the hell of it.
• Evan Carter is really struggling, man. Schumaker gave him a lot of ABs vs. lefties, and results were tough.

Coming Up

A not-very-fun mixture is on deck for the next week. Not only are the Rangers heading on the road, they are also facing a couple of first-place teams. Last time they were away from Arlington, a 2-5 road trip got turned in vs. some last-place teams.

First up will be the Chicago White Sox, who already took a series at Globe Life Field. They will be 3.5 games up in the AL Central on Monday, looking to widen the gap. Will Venable has done a fantastic job on the Southside.

A quick trip up to Milwaukee comes over the weekend to play the best team in baseball. If there is any good news, Jacob Misiorowski appears set to pitch on Thursday night before the Rangers get to town. Still, the Brewers have been a force all year. Tough sledding ahead.