There appear to be signs of life. They are not yet ready to take them off life support and disconnect the oxygen machine so they can breathe on their own. But it’s the first positive eye twitch.

After breaking out for eleven runs on Friday night and then customarily being shut out on Saturday, the Rangers headed into Sunday seeing if they had any fight left in their offense. 

After giving up a run in the first, the Rangers did their customary act of getting the first two runners on and leaving them here. Same old Rangers.

Then something happened. After the first two Rangers got out in the second, they blinked. Marcus Semien singled, Sam Haggerty walked, and Josh Smith doubled both of them in. Two, two-out runs. 

Their next four innings where Ranger innings, meaning non-scoring. 

They picked up one in the seventh. Then the eighth inning happened. This is a team that has scored the fewest runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings of any team in baseball. One of the reason the traffic leaving The Shed has been so light lately is the Rangers players had all gone home early.

Not this night. Texas exploded for five runs in the eighth. In the end, they beat a very good Cardinals team 8-1, winning two out of three. With Adolis Garcia firmly planted on the bench for all three games.

Signs of life. 

*****