Monthly Archives: May 2024


Hitting pause.

Writing a daily Rangers blog here at RangersRounding3rd has been a labor of love (mostly) these last ten years. I took over this blog from Twig in the middle of 2014, which was a miserable year to be a Rangers fan. Texas finished in last, lost 95 games, and lost […]


The Smolinski effect.

Does anyone remember Jake Smolinski? Or, more to the point, does anyone remember Jake Smolinski’s 2014 call up with the Rangers? Smolinksi was an outfielder in the Rangers system in 2014 when he was called up toward the end of the 2014 season. This was the season the Rangers would […]


A feat that will never be topped.

Finally, the Rangers offense showed up last night. In historic fashion. It lasted all of two batters. But, it showed up. And it was spectacular. Marcus Semien walked. Corey Seager homered. The Rangers were up 2-0. Then, having accomplished a feat that will never in the history of baseball be […]


Rangers are lucky.

Here’s one way to look at this recent freefall the Rangers are in. They’ve won two of their last twelve games. They lost their last four series, being swept in two of them. They cannot hit. Their defense has been horrid. Their bullpen is the worst in baseball. They’ve lost four […]


Have they played this game before?

Sometimes you wonder if they’ve ever played before. A throw Lowe couldn’t catch at first in the second followed by a caught stealing that instead of ending up actually catching the runner stealing ends up with the throw sailing into the outfield. All of which ends up with two runs […]


Not enough.

It was the tale of two teams. One, marching toward the playoffs. The other, sliding into irrelevance. Both teams ran out their best starting pitchers. Jon Gray with his 2.08 ERA, and Ranger Suarez with his minuscule 1.37 ERA. Both teams left a two-out walk on base without scoring in […]


Answer time.

It’s here. There comes a moment in every season when it’s time for the players to step up and see what the team is made of. That moment is here. That moment is tonight. That moment is this three-game series against the Phillies.  At 34-14, the Phillies are the best […]


Seventh heaven it’s not.

The Rangers have been playing like a Little League team lately with their sloppy defense—dropping easy fly balls, making throws that sail into the outfield, unable to complete routine ground ball outs.  It’s too bad, though, that they aren’t playing by Little League rules, which dictate a game’s length at […]


The Little Offense that Could.

As a reminder, there are thirteen ways a team can score with bases loaded and fewer than two outs. One, a sacrifice fly. Two, a wild pitch. Three, a passed ball. Four, a fielder’s choice ground out. Five, an error. Six, catcher’s interference. Seven, a hit. Eight, a balk. Nine, […]


Mediocrity.

For too long, Rangers fans have been hoping this year’s team finds the magic of 2023. Last night it seemed the Rangers harkened back a few years further. They looked an awful lot like the 2021 Texas Rangers that lost 102 games. The offense has been non-existent for most of […]