Looking back on it, Rangers starter Andrew Cashner had his best start of the season, allowing just one run in seven innings for the win, lowering his ERA to a stallar 2.92.

The Rangers ended the eighth week of the season with a badly needed win in Toronto, avoiding getting swept twice in a row.

This season has been a tale of two teams. Plusses and minuses. One very good one and one very bad one. A ten-game winning streak surrounded by a lot of really bad baseball.

Mix it all together and it’s a team that belongs where it is—hovering around .500.

+) Texas is 16-8 at the Ballpark, winning two-thirds of its games at home.

-) The road has been the opposite, a house of horrors no matter whose house they are in. Away from Arlington, Texas is 9-18,  having has won only a third of games on the road.

+) The Rangers are 6-1 in interleague play.

-)The Rangers are 4-8 in one-run games, last season’s strongpoint.

+)Texas is the epitome of bottom feeders, going 20-12 against teams under .500

-) And 5-14 against teams over .500.

+) At 3.78, they have the third best starting rotation ERA in the American League.

-) And the worst bullpen ERA in the league, at 5.04.

+) They have the fifth most home runs in the AL.

-) But the fourth worst batting average.

+) They’ve scored the fourth most runs.

-) But have the fifth fewest hits.

Their offense was one game away from breaking the ignominious record for most ten-strikeout games in a row, but fell short. They prevented Chris Sale from breaking the record for most ten-strikeout games in a row. And fell short of breaking the major league record for strikeouts in a game, getting only twenty, not the record twenty-one.

Everything seems to be an opposite conundrum.

That is why they are 25-26.

But, at least they are heading home today, where they win. To play a team over .500. Which they usually lose to.

You never know which team will show up tonight.

At least it might have Adrian Beltre on it.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Erasmo Ramirez (3-0, 2.92) vs. Martin Perez (2-5, 3.77)
Game time: 7:05

How the Rays hit against Perez.
How the Rangers hit against Ramirez.