A high for Lowe.


Nathanial Lowe has the Rangers’ first 5-hit game of the season.

Nathaniel Lowe had a game. All he did yesterday was go 5-for-5 with a double, a home run and three runs batted in.

Not bad for week’s work in a day. 

Lowe was the highlight of a night where the Rangers scored three in the first. Three in the ninth.

And won.

That’s two wins on this road trip. Their second and third road wins since the All-Star break. But for a team to win, it needs someone to step up and hit. Lowe was doing that to begin the season. He drove in 22 runners in April. Since then, he’s driving in only 36 runs in the following four months. His April .845 OPS has fallen all the way to .709 in August.

It’s been such a struggle that the Rangers have realized they first one on more hole they need to fill. They had traded for Lowe because Ronald Guzman failed there.

A 5-for-5, with a three-run homer, is certainly remarkable. And nobody expects that every game. But Lowe needs to find a way to be more consistent. Mainly, he needs to find a way to hit a fastball.

For the season Lowe is hitting .165 with a sad .536 OPS off fastballs. 

That’s not good. It’s brings up the old joke: What do you call a major leaguer who can’t hit a fastball?

A minor leaguer.

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