The plan has always worked in the past. No reason to think it wouldn’t work again. Jose Leclerc has been lights out as a closer. So far, this season, he’d thrown 4.1 scoreless innings. He had converted both save attempts (even earning a win in between), and his last […]
“Other teams might kick themselves for trading away their top pitching prospects only to see them succeed, to varying degrees, elsewhere. Yet the Rangers have one of the deepest pitching systems in the game. In fact, of their top 10 prospects, per Baseball America, they feature seven pitchers, three of […]
The Rangers have their first off day of the season to reflect on their first ten games. And what have we learned. After the Cubs series, which the Rangers won two games to one, we learned that the Rangers are capable of rallies, capable of hitting with men in […]
The Rangers are revolutionizing the concept of the opener. For generations, the opener was a relief pitcher who started the game and went just few innings, then the game was turned over to the starter who pitched an inning or two until the bullpen comes in to close it […]
Remember that kid’s game, “One of These is Not Like the Other”? It was a page of objects and you had to circle which one was different. It’s usually not that difficult. Let’s try. One of these is not like the other. Can you spot it? Cole Calhoun, .209 […]
Some games are won with dramatic soul-crushing home runs in the last inning. Some are won with anti-climatic soul-crushing home runs in the first inning. Like last night’s game. After four hitters, it was 3-0, thanks to Joey Gallo’s second home run of the season. Not long after that […]
Never mind 4-2, the Rangers record at this point. Never mind 4-0, the score of last night’s gem thrown by Mike Minor. What’s important is 7-6. That’s the walk-to-strikeout ration for Joey Gallo so far this season. If that continues in some vicinity, it changes everything. If there is […]
The Rangers have beaten Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels, and Justin Verlander. No slouches in the bunch. Each one had a lead and lost it. Lost the lead. Lost command. Lost their composure. Lost it. So, the question is this: Is the Rangers patient new approach the reason these top […]
Drew Smyly hadn’t been in a major league game since September 26 of 2016. So, he could be forgiven if it took him a batter to get his sea legs back underneath him. And he could be forgiven if he wasn’t particularly efficient. Seventy-three pitches in three-plus innings. He […]
Had it been a World Series game, it would go down as one for the ages. An instant classic. People would be talking about it for years to come. But as a third game of the season, not bad at all. Four to nothing, Cubs. Five to four, Rangers. […]
