Everyone loves a good winning homestand. Especially when two division foes such as the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros are in town. The Rangers took both of those series, which is the positive news. Watching the Detroit Tigers take two of three serves as the downside.
Overall, the good aspects of this homestand outweigh the bad ones. The outcome for the Rangers could have looked a whole lot different after some late-inning troubles. Thankfully, they got the job done when it mattered the most. So, let's get into the 5-4 homestand.
Thought 1 - World Cup stoppage
Momentum was on the Rangers' side when they came home to open a series with the Detroit Tigers. The Cleveland Guardians had just snapped a six-game winning streak, Texas' top run of the year thus far. To make matters better, 10 runs were put up on the board on Thursday night. But before getting to the final two, an off day took place. Yes, for the World Cup.
For the record, I am a huge fan of the World Cup and soccer in general. This is not some kind of anti-World Cup thought. Just an interesting point of the homestand where Texas got one (good) game under its belt and then spent a Friday doing nothing. Or watching soccer.
We saw something similar play out earlier in the year when the Minnesota Twins were in town. The Rangers got swept, not really mattering when the World Cup break was.
So, this kind of occurrence will not happen again for a long, long time, if ever. Mainly only pointing it out since the Tigers took Saturday and Sunday's contests, after previously playing for two consecutive weeks with no break.
Thought 2 - Mackenzie Gore, the villain. Mackenzie Gore, the hero
Just a few days ago, nobody had a positive thought when it came to Mackenzie Gore. His performance on Wednesday vs. the Angels led to a pretty rough result. Getting blown out by a last-place team at home, with a pitcher who was a prized acquisition this offseason on the mound, leads to some questions. Many wondered about this team's long-term future because of the loss.
Personally, I was not one of them. At the same time, pretty easy to acknowledge Gore has not been good enough to this point.
When Gore walked off the mound, his ERA read 4.72 over 101 IP. At the time, that was fifth-worst among qualified starters in baseball.
Five is the number associated with Gore. It's the number of prospects Chris Young gave to the Washington Nationals for the pitcher. All of them are still in the lower levels of the Minors. Still, some big names were in there, and ones Rangers fans were excited about for the future. So, opinions about Gore would have been sour entering the All-Star break.
Emphasis on would have. Because what Gore did is not heroic, per se. But it's about as close to heroic as you can be during the regular season. With an injury to Jacob deGrom, Gore stepped up and offered to be the team's starting pitcher. On just three days' rest, something almost no organization would allow a young, controllable player to do in the regular season.
Gore delivered in a big way. Four innings might not sound like a lot but considering the bullpen situation, the best-case scenario played out. Just one run was given up, coming on the automatic home run Jose Altuve hits at Globe Life Field. But Gore got through his outing relatively unscathed.
Everyone wants this to be the springboard Gore needs for a quality second half. Will his outings be perfect? No. What you cannot doubt is his desire to get better and help the team out, no matter the scenario. Hopefully, he has his head held high when leaving the park on Sunday.
Thought 3 - Wyatt Langford raises this team's bar
Kind of thought Wyatt Langford was just going to be out through the All-Star Break. A hamstring strain isn't really anything to mess around with, especially for a guy potentially playing centerfield.
Come Thursday night against the Angels, boom. Langford was activated. Since then, we can directly credit him with two wins and then half credit for Sunday's walk-off vs. Houston. Langford got a walk-off of his own to save the Rangers in the Angels finale, before a massive Friday night homer against the Astros. Hot before the injury, the same form continued over the weekend.
In the 10 games the Rangers played without Langford (dating back to the third game in Toronto), the offense was fine. They scored 4.6 runs per game, winning six of them. Getting Langford back in the lineup meant 5.8 runs per game. Yes, small sample size at just four games. Take his contributions into account, where the third-year player had four hits in 15 at-bats with two walks, three runs, and two RBIs. Fantastic production.
Langford raises the bar for this team. His clutch moments since returning from the IL are tough to ignore. Enough tougher to ignore is the OPS currently at .819. Seeing Langford remain healthy might be the difference between a decent and a pretty good season.
Thought 4 - The emerging need for pitching, both starting and bullpen
Offense, offense, offense. All anyone ever hears about when discussing why the Rangers are not a consistent ball club. At least, that's what I think people still believe? Either way, move the bats to the side for now. Pitching is actually the biggest area of hurt at the moment.
Injuries are a big reason why. Not the lone one but a part of the equation.
Leiter is down long-term, and deGrom might not get back on the mound right away coming out of the break. This leaves the Rangers with Gore, Nathan Eovaldi, and Kumar Rocker. Gore's struggles, already highlighted in the piece. Eovaldi has been a classic case of good, not great. Rocker saw his ERA climb to 4.40 after giving up seven ER vs. Houston on Saturday.
So, yeah. A starting pitcher is probably going to be needed in the second half. Do those come internally? Probably. Jordan Montgomery is posting good numbers in his rehab starts. Cody Bradford pitched in Frisco on Sunday, starting his own journey. At the very least, you'd like to believe the Rangers can count on them for innings down the road.
Now, bullpen? Young is going to need outside help. Evan Grant showed what kind of depth the Rangers are currently dealing with in a Sunday tweet. Five rookies were in the bullpen during Sunday's game. Injuries are certainly a problem there too. However, some of the currently hurt guys (Chris Martin, Robert Garcia, Luis Curvelo) have not been lighting the world on fire when available.
If the Rangers are still in this thing at the trade deadline, a move or two or three for pitching is going to come. Depth is needed in a bad, bad way – both starting pitch and out of the bullpen. Thankfully, a bit of a reset comes to navigate July 17-Aug. 3.
Thought 5 - AL West series navigated despite flirting with disaster
Losing a series to Detroit, fine. The Tigers are on the rise in the American League Central, playing really good baseball. Even if Tarik Skubal did not pitch in the series, you can blink over dropping two of three to them, even at home.
Really, all the attention – at least for me – was on the two AL West series. Beating the Angels and Astros was a must, just for two different reasons. Los Angeles, they're not very good. Houston, the Astros would have been within a game of you if they had earned two wins.
As it played out on the field, the two results mirrored each other. A quality win to open things up, followed by a brutal, blowout loss. Only to get out to nice leads in the finales, blow the game, only to earn dramatic walk-off wins.
Make sure to wear your seatbelt and keep your legs inside at all times when riding this roller coaster.
Losing the closing games, to either LA or Houston, would have been a disaster. Victories right in the palm of your hand, only for the previously mentioned thin bullpen to give up leads. Thank you, Wyatt Langford.
Don't check the Rangers' record vs. the AL West this season. Okay, it's 13-16. Step one of proving you are capable of competing is winning in the division. Overall, still not great. But 4-2 in your last six feels is a huge confidence booster.
Singles
- In a similar boat to Gore, Jacob Latz volunteered himself to pitch in Sunday’s game. He also delivered, throwing a scoreless ninth inning and earning the decision. “Culture” is a broad term used way, way too much in sports. However, this team certainly has a good one.
- Kumar Rocker is going through a rough patch. The Houston start was the height. His Detroit outing was not much better, giving up three runs and not getting out of the fifth inning. If nothing else, he is out there every fifth day. Another big area to watch on the other side.
- If/when Corey Seager comes back, lineup decisions get interesting. Nicky Lopez feels like he needs to stay in the lineup. So, what happens to the final outfield spot pre-trade deadline? Surely, the answer is Ezequiel Duran. There is still time for the Rangers to do something with Evan Carter.
- That being said, I still have long-term concerns about Duran. His OPS was last over .800 on June 11. A nice power surge (three homers from Thursday to Saturday) has it back up to .760. Probably the guy with the most on the line at the trade deadline when it comes to finishing the season as an everyday player.
- Justin Foscue continues to CRUSH. Five total hits on the homestand, two of which were homers. Role, carved out.
Coming Up
The All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday in Philadelphia. Only having one player at Citizens Bank Park is a blessing in disguise. Getting healthy is priority No. 1.
Hopefully, Latz is able to get on the mound at some point. And FOX is able to tell his story well, going from fifth starter competition (and losing) to one of the AL’s best closers.
