So much for the Rangers offensive renaissance. It lasted almost as long as the torpedo bat craze.

A night after boasting their biggest offensive outburst of the season, the Rangers slipped back into 2025 form, scoring just two runs, and wasting a lot of opportunities.

After being buried in a 4-0 hole by a wild and ineffective Kumar Rocker, the Rangers were unable to make up ground. 

They had a runner on in the second, but Jake Burger was thrown out trying to steal. Jake Burger trying to steal makes as much sense as my dog playing guitar. After Wyatt Langford got them on the board with a one-out home run, Josh Jung followed it up with a double. He was stranded. They got two on with one out in the fifth, but a double play killed that. Two on with no outs in the sixth and didn’t score. They stranded a runner in the seventh and a runner in the ninth.

That runner in the ninth was Joc Pederson, who broke his 0-for-41 slump with a double. Forgive him for nearly being thrown out at second. Having not been there this year, he got lost along the way. He was glad to be stranded at second to end the game. He wanted to spend some quality time on a base, any base. In fact, Joc Pederson is still standing there. He’s not leaving. 

Every time something good happens, the thought is, maybe this is the spark that ignites the Rangers offense. 

When Josh Jung came off the I.L., it happened for a game or two, then died down. When they had back-to-back games of scoring six runs each game in Cincinnati (of of those, they lost), it died down. When they shuffled the lineup and dropped Marcus Semien to the five hole, it happened for one game. Then, poof.

Maybe the most unlikely thing ever, Joc Pederson getting a hit, is finally the catalyst. 

Maybe.

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