After a while, you have to wonder if the Rangers franchise is cursed.

Fans might remember 2011. That still stings. But 2023 might end up stinging more.

The Rangers finally had a bona fide ace in Jacob deGrom. He lasted six games. But, they had a backup ace, Nathan Eovaldi. He pitched in the All-Star Game. Then, he was gone. So they traded for future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer. In his eighth Rangers start, he walked off the mound with a right forearm strain.

The three letters Rangers pitchers deal with aren’t ERA or MVP. It’s MRI. Scherzer is having his today. 

He left yesterday’s game in the sixth inning, replaced by Jose Leclerc. That’s like driving a Lamborghini, taking it to the shop for an oil change, and leaving in a Yugo.

The Rangers drive for the playoffs might have hit a major pothole. Yes, they beat Toronto 6-3, with Scherzer getting the W and Aroldis Chapman getting the save after giving up his obligatory run. And, yes, Houston lost, so Texas is now just a game out of first in the West. 

But if the Rangers lose Scherzer, their post-season chances will have taken a major gut punch.

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