Texas Rangers Sweep Houston, Continue Domination Of Astros

By Ben Davila | May 23, 2016

May 22, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Prince Fielder (84) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Coming off one of the more newsworthy weeks in recent team history, the Texas Rangers swept Houston, further asserting control over their in state rivals.

If you’re a fan of the Texas Rangers, you’re probably hard pressed to recall such an eventful week. Yes, the 2010 and 2011 World Series teams provided their share of headlines. The stunning resignation of then manager Ron Washington in the late stages of the 2014 campaign certainly moved the sports needle on an otherwise dreadful season.

But between “The Punch“, naming a new closer, revelations of a new retractable-roof stadium, and further proving how deep their dominance of Houston runs, there’s no denying that the franchise has been front and center in the minds of local and national media.

This team might be easy to write off if they weren’t contending through the first quarter of the season. It’s even more impressive when one considers that they’re doing it without staff ace Yu Darvish, feast-or-famine outings from the enigmatic Derek Holland, and some shaky bullpen performances.

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The simple fact of the matter is that the Texas Rangers aren’t playing their best baseball just yet. There are flashes, but the consistency is a bit lacking. While that may be the bad news, the good news is that this team’s ceiling is still very high. They haven’t hit their stride yet, but they’re contending, and that’s encouraging as the dog days of the season approach.

The period between last Sunday and yesterday is an apt microcosm of what this bunch has gone through so far. As emotionally charged as the Toronto series was, the bottom line is that the Texas Rangers won two of three against those clowns. Hopes were high heading into a series against the underachieving A’s.

They promptly went to Oakland and got swept in three ugly games. In retrospect, it’s not too surprising that the Oakland series was such a dud. While certainly not desirable, an emotional letdown was probably inevitable. On a related note, If you’re interested in the fortunes of the Blue Jays, they followed up their series in Texas by getting swept at home by the Tampa Bay Rays.

As nasty as the visit to Oakland turned out, the weekend series in Houston proved to be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Texas Rangers. The Rangers badly needed a win on Friday night, and pitcher Colby Lewis took the mound for the opening game. Lewis answered by hurling an absolute gem.

Here’s where we need to stop and appreciate Colby’s place in the Rangers’ organization. His performance on Friday was a classic example of the effort he’s given throughout his carrier. On his better days, the Texas Rangers will likely win. On his lesser days, he still gives his team a chance to compete.

Friday night’s game exemplified one of his best nights in a Rangers’ uniform. Pitch placement, excellent defense, and a little luck provided the catalysts for a quintessential Colby Lewis win. He is an old school warhorse that takes the ball every fifth day, and his outing on Friday set the tone for the rest of the series.

Ersatz starter Cesar Ramos pitched six innings of two-hit ball, and the bullpen threw three scoreless innings to provide another 2-1 win on Saturday evening. Current staff ace Cole Hamels came in and baffled Astro bats all day en route to a 9-2 thrashing that sealed the deal yesterday afternoon.

Next: Texas Rangers: How the Punch Galvanized the Rangers

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Yes, the Texas Rangers still have their warts. This team isn’t perfect by any stretch. But their ability to grind at the plate and on the mound is an early testament to their makeup and their coaching. They’re in a much better position now than they were at this time last year, and that can only be seen as a positive sign as this season progresses.

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