A split with the best team in baseball.
Does that mean the Rangers are as good as the best team in baseball? No, but it means Texas is playing much better than it was when it was the absolute worst team in baseball.
This team is still a starter or two away from a playoff team. Ross Detwiler fell to 0-5 with five innings of nothing-to-write-home-about baseball. He did allow only three runs rather than his usual five earned runs, getting his ERA down below 7.00.
This team still has a bullpen with more holes than the plot of a Sylvester Stallone movie.
Sam Freeman became the last philanthropist employed by Jon Daniels. Rangers relief pitchers have given up a home run to the first batter they have faced seven times this season. In his first game, Freeman waited until the second batter. Welcome to the Rangers, Sam Freeman. You are a slow learner, but we trust you will get the hang of it. Give it time.
Recent Rangers bullpen roster moves are simply a matter of moving the holes around. Replacing mediocrity with mediocrity. A better solution would have been to address a weak bullpen in the off-season. It still boggles the mind that a major league team would go into a season with no left-handed relief pitchers. And, to this point, have had only two. Alex Claudio and now Freeman. Not real encouraging.
Even though this team just went toe to toe with the best team in the AL, a team with the fourteenth worst ERA in the league does not have a right to think it is among the upper tier.
This team also has far too many holes in its lineup. A couple of those holes are contributing right now, which is encouraging, but for how long?
This team has too many holes on defense. One of those glaring holes also happens to be one of the glaring holes in the lineup, but that is the topic for another rant. The missed play at first base yesterday between Detwiler and Moreland is an example of how a struggling team cannot overcome stupid plays. There is not enough in the talent bank to make up for it.
Overall there are way too many weaknesses on this team to think there is an October in its future.
At least there is not dread in its future.
At least the Rangers are fun to watch now.