The Texas Rangers didn\u2019t score a run but the Arizona Diamondbacks scored two runs.<\/p>\n
The glass half full take is the Rangers have turned their season around with a sudden run of success despite sustaining potentially crippling injuries. It is unquestionable that they\u2019ve played their way back into the playoff race, even if their play over the course of the rest of the season has put them behind the eight-ball in that quest.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s fun and exciting! It\u2019s easy to root for a team still trying, even if the odds are stacked against them.<\/p>\n
The glass half empty take is the Rangers were like a handful of miracles that allowed them to win Monday night\u2019s opener from getting swept by a sub-.500, fourth place Diamondbacks club after today\u2019s limp 2-0 loss. More to the point, the recent wins have come against the likes of the lowly Angels and A\u2019s, perhaps momentarily obfuscating the issues that have required a surge from Texas just to reach the postseason.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the plucky no-name lineup that was scoring runs in droves in recent weeks has dried up by following just three runs in yesterday\u2019s loss with zero today against a team that has allowed the fourth most in the National League this season.<\/p>\n
Now the Rangers go into their next series \u2014 a critical matchup against Houston \u2014 fresh off scoring one run in their last 14 innings with a lineup on Wednesday that didn\u2019t feature a single player that was a regular in their World Series run from two year ago.<\/p>\n
The Rangers have shown that they can beat really bad teams \u2014 such as winning five in a row against the Angels and A\u2019s. They\u2019ve shown that they can eke out some wins against teams in the middle of the pack \u2014 such as sweeping fellow Wild Card contender Cleveland in late August.<\/p>\n
They have not shown that they can rise to the occasion and beat good teams, however. In games against teams above .500, the Rangers are 29-47. Over the next couple of weeks, they\u2019ll basically only be playing good teams. Each of the next 12 games comes against teams above .500 and holding a playoff spot.<\/p>\n
They won\u2019t have their best players, either. If the cup is to runneth over, they\u2019ll have to step up and essentially begin their playoff run early.<\/p>\n
Player of the Game: Jack Leiter allowed three hits today. In fact, by the end of the game, the Rangers out-hit the Diamondbacks five to three. And though he walked three, it didn\u2019t seem like one of those extremely poor command Leiter days. Perhaps more apt would be to say that his command was spotty, especially early.<\/p>\n
The two runs came in the first two innings, one run apiece. The first came on a two-out hit which followed a double where Ketel Marte was thrown out at the plate. The second came following Texas\u2019 first error in like three weeks.<\/p>\n
Overall Leiter put together a six-inning, eight-strikeout performance on 99 pitches that should have been good enough. Instead, despite basically an entirely different lineup, he was treated to the 2025 Texas Rangers special.<\/p>\n
Up Next: The Rangers have tomorrow off before beginning a series with the Astros on Friday night from The Shed. RHP Merrill Kelly is expected to pitch for Texas in the opener against a pitcher to be named for Houston.<\/p>\n