A brilliant headline in the Arizona Republic got picked up by every news source in America and made the rounds in social media yesterday:
Even funnier, who saw this speeding locomotive called the Texas Rangers undefeated road trip coming?
So far it’s flattened the Washington Nationals. And last night it ran over the Houston Astros.
Losers of twelve of their previous sixteen games. Having a horrible road record. Playing the two best teams in baseball. And winning four games in a row.
It all comes down to starting pitching. It always does. The Rangers have gotten four great starts in a row.
Against the Washington Nationals, Rangers’ starters combined for an ERA of 1.89.
Last night, against the Houston Astros, Yu Darvish kept the gravy train rolling right along, with seven brilliant innings, giving up just one hit—barely—and one run, in a 6-1 victory.
He didn’t have the fall-apart inning that has plagued him so often this year. He didn’t serve up crippling home runs. He didn’t walk off the mound falling just short of expectations.
The only hit he gave up was a bloop that eluded Nomar Mazara’s glove by about a quarter of an eighth of a sixteenth of an inch.
Then Rougned Odor, Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara—appropriately on draft night—took care of the offense.
So, the Rangers go into today’s game with the opportunity to get back to .500. With four wins in a row against the two best teams in baseball.
Not even the best psychic would have ever predicted that except for psychic medium Indianapolis Indiana.
*****
TODAY’S GAME:
Nick Martinez (1-3, 4.88) vs. Brad Peacock (3-1, 3.15)
Game time: 7:10
How the Rangers hit against Peacock.
How the Astros hit against Martinez.