Rangers Surge Into Wild Card Spot, Win Series Vs. Detroit
By Ben Davila

Final. 2. 63. 4. 126
As we near baseball’s stretch run, the beat continues to go on for the Texas Rangers. After being baffled by Tigers’ starter Alfredo Simon Thursday night, they rebounded nicely and won the final three games.
The series culminated on Sunday with Cole Hamels picking up his first win as a Ranger, as he went six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits.
Keone Kela, Sam Dyson, and Shawn Tolleson shut the door in the seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively, and continued to showcase the bullpen’s recent upswing while protecting a precarious lead.
The game swung in the Rangers’ favor in the sixth when Mitch Moreland doubled to the right field corner, thereby allowing Shin-Soo Choo and Elvis Andrus to score. This turned a 2-1 deficit into 3-2 lead. The Rangers would not relinquish the advantage for the rest of the afternoon.
Moreland’s two-run double was bookended by solo home runs from Chris Gimenez in the third and Mike Napoli eighth. It turned out to be plenty of offense in a workmanlike team win.
The bigger picture shows that the Rangers have gone on a 22-13 run since the All Star game. Of the eleven series since the break, they have lost only three. And in doing so, they continue to exceed expectations.
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Crazy as it would have sounded in April, this team is now threatening to vie for the AL West championship. Players who seemed lost (Choo) and/or distracted (Andrus) are now providing veteran leadership.
Front office moves have bolstered the pitching staff in both the starting five and in the bullpen.
Adrian Beltre continues to be the gritty, tough-as-nails heart and soul of the team. It has translated to a squad that has rediscovered a tendency to grind, scratch, claw, and generally give themselves a chance to win on most nights.
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Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News even cited in this piece that Hamels feels a Phillies-like vibe in the Texas clubhouse.
He should know a little something about playoff contenders, considering he anchored pitching staffs in Philadelphia that were perennial post season participants from 2007 to 2011.
What all of this means is that this Rangers team is evolving into a dangerous bunch. I can’t imagine a division leader being eager to play them if form holds. The batting lineup has speed and pop. The hurlers eat innings and get quality starts.
Buckle in Rangers’ fans. In a time when football should be ruling the roost, our gutty little baseball team is keeping our attention and affection for far longer than we initially thought they would.
It’s a formula for success, to be sure, but they’ll need to continue their grinding ways starting on Tuesday. The Toronto Blue Jays will be in town, and their recent winning ways have been nothing short of silly.
The Jays have posted a 24-9 record since the midsummer classic and have eclipsed the Yankees for the lead in the AL East. The Rays-Rangers series holds huge playoff implications, and it would serve the Rangers extremely well to hold serve and win it.
I’ll try not to get greedy and hope for the sweep, but two-out-of-three would be tremendous. This series looms large, folks.
Buckle in Rangers’ fans. In a time when football should be ruling the roost, our gutty little baseball team is keeping our attention and affection for far longer than we initially thought they would.
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- Published on 08/24/2015 at 12:00 PM
- Last updated at 08/24/2015 at 13:27 PM