Rangers Pitching Staff Collapsing at Worst Possible Time
By Tyler Maher
The Texas Rangers' sudden collapse has been tough to watch. In the span of three weeks, they've gone from leading the AL West to third place and out of a playoff spot.
That's what happens when you go 4-15. It's what happens when your bats stop scoring runs and your pitchers suddenly forget how to pitch.
I mean, how else do you explain what happened against the Houston Astros earlier this week?
The Houston #Astros with a loud statement:
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 7, 2023
They sweep the Texas #Rangers in Arlington by a score of 39-10.
The Astros unloaded for 50 hits and 16 HRs in the series.
They become the 1st team in #MLB history to score at least 12 runs and hit at least 5 HRs in 3 consecutive games.
When Houston came to town on Monday, Texas was only one game out of first in the AL West. Against a division rival, this pivotal series was a golden opportunity to make up some ground in the standings and potentially recapture first place.
Instead, the Rangers fell flat on their faces. After watching their bullpen blow game after game for several weeks, the starting rotation decided to join the fun. Texas served up an endless buffet of meatballs to the Astros, allowing them to tee off and bludgeon the Rangers in three straight games.
Texas lost 13-6 on Monday, which was actually the closest game of the series. Tuesday was even worse (14-1), and Wednesday's highly anticipated pitching duel between Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander never materialized. Houston ran away with a 12-3 win, completing the sweep and breaking the Rangers' hearts in the process.
Fortunately, Texas has the best possible medicine to cure its slump. After an off day on Thursday, the Rangers host the pitiful Oakland A's for an easy three-game series. If Texas doesn't right the ship this weekend, it never will.
The Rangers are running out of time. If their bats don't wake up and their arms don't figure it out soon, they're going to look back on this once-promising season as a major missed opportunity.
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