Rangers Grinding, Dearth Of Offense Concerning

Final. 2. 126. 3. 128

The Chicago White Sox thwarted a Texas Rangers series win yesterday when Gordon Beckham launched Alex Claudio’s first eleventh inning pitch into the Sox bullpen for a 3-2 win.

This came after the top half of the inning where the Rangers blew a golden opportunity to take the lead. Though the Rangers dropped two of three over the weekend, it is only their third series loss since early May.

To the glass-half-full crowd, the Rangers are 29-17 since May 4th. The glass-half-empty crowd will counter with the team’s relatively mediocre 4-4 record over their last eight contests.

While the dog days of the 162-game grind are certainly looming, if not underway already, it warrants mentioning that the Rangers have Major League Baseball’s best record since May 4th.

For context, check their record and run differential going into May 4th here. And here’s how it looked going into yesterday’s contest versus the White Sox. The turnaround, as I’ve chronicled here and here, has been jaw-dropping.

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The bats went mainly silent this past week, though, and that’s a bit concerning. Granted, when you’re running up against the likes of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Chris Sale, and Carlos Rodon in a four-day span, chances and runs will be rare and will come at a high premium.

Kershaw didn’t have his best stuff last Wednesday, though, and it was highlighted when Joey Gallo displayed this clout. When you have a rookie capable of this, it’s a titillating sign of what might be.

Chris Sale perplexed Rangers’ bats a couple nights later in Chicago, but they found the grind long enough to get to the bullpen, and then Mitch Moreland delivered in the clutch to give our boys in blue the improbable win.

I can give credit where it’s due and acknowledge this team’s capability to stay close and give themselves a chance to win. But as a fan, I get greedy when my team is approaching greatness. A “great” team would’ve found a way to win on Sunday, injuries be damned.

Here’s the thing, though: It’s hard to shake the notion that opposing pitching is starting to get the book on this Rangers’ lineup. Aside from a somewhat cooled-off Prince Fielder and a mostly clutch Mitch Moreland, the run support has been very spotty.

Am I panicking over a stretch of games that played out as they probably should’ve been? Most likely. But when opportunities like yesterday’s top-of-the-eleventh sprout and meekly die, it’s difficult to get past. Wins must be stolen when chances present themselves, no matter how depleted the roster.

The pitching found a way to keep them close until they simply caved. This is what makes Sunday’s game a tough pill to swallow.

Is this a symptom of a team coming back down to earth? Probably not. Their torrid pace of late indicates they’ll soon find the groove again. One can’t help but fret, though, when Adrian Beltre continues a nebulous path towards his return. He’s on record, as of Sunday, questioning his own readiness.

This doesn’t even take into account the availability of Josh Hamilton and how effective he will be once he does return. They’ll have to make do in the interim.

While it is nice to get pop from Ryan Rua and Leonys Martin, it is foolish to assume they’ll be consistent enough to sustain the magic. Time will certainly tell–and the pitching will hopefully keep them close–but the bats have to maintain a healthy pace in order for them to continue their improbable run.

Next: Texas Rangers' Adrian Beltre: It's going to take some time

Published on 06/22/2015 at 12:00 PM
Last updated at 06/22/2015 at 04:06 AM

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