The Rangers have fifty-three games left to play. That’s one-third of the season.

An optimist would look at their being 4.5 games out and say, they are in this thing. A realist will look at their record of 52-57 and say, until they get to .500, the only thing they are in is a spiral of mediocrity. Actually, they five games under mediocrity.

Rangers fan tend to blame this on the offense, which has scored just one run per game the past two games, and three runs or fewer in eight of the thirteen games since the All-Star break. Texas is, by the way, 6-7 since the break, with four of those wins coming against the White Sox. So, 2-7 against major league-caliber teams.

But don’t blame just the offense. Yes, the Rangers are eighth in runs scored in the American League and ninth in batting average, both are below average.

But their starters are eighth in ERA, their relievers thirteenth, both below average, with thirteenth being almost at the bottom.

All the talk is how this offense is struggling but the reality is the offense, rotation, and bullpen are struggling. So is their base stealing (eleventh out of fifteen), their power (tenth in home runs), their on-base percentage (also tenth), their walks given up (twelfth worse in the league), earned runs allowed (eleventh), and home runs allowed (eighth).

What this says is the Rangers are not good in almost any category of offense and pitching. They have too many deficiencies to be serious contenders.

Yet, they are just 4.5 games out. Which says less about the Rangers prowess and more about the divisions weakness. 

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