Yesterday, Rangers’ fans saw the two biggest Ranger killers in baseball: Kyle Seager. And Runners In Scoring Position.
When runners are on base for Seager against the Rangers, he drives them in. Usually with a home run. His three-run homer in the first pretty much ended the game right there.
When runners are on base for the Rangers, inning over. It’s a depressing trend that has been going on for nearly three seasons. Get ’em on, leave ’em on. This is a most inefficient offense.
Yesterday in the first four innings, the Rangers had six runners on base against James Paxton, a good pitcher who was making his first spring start. So, basically, he was just trying to find his feel. Lucky for him, he found the Rangers offense.
Two on, one out in the first? Double play to get him out of the inning. Two on, no out in the second? Three straight lazy fly balls to the outfield. Lead off walk in the third? Erased caught stealing. One out, one on in the fourth? Two fly outs to end the inning.
By the time Paxton left the game with one out in the fourth, Texas was down 6-0 and the offense phoned it in from there. By the time they walked off the field, it was 8-0 Seattle.
Thomas Wolfe wrote a book about the Texas Rangers offense: “You Can’t Go Home Again.”
But, it’s just spring. The season starts in two weeks. Here’s hoping the hits with runners on base start coming as well, so a few Rangers can come home. Because, with their pitching, they are going to need all the runs they can get.
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Kyle Seager 2014 against the Rangers:
19 Games, 5 HRs, 16 RBIs, .351 AVG.
Kyke Seager career against the Rangers:
66 Games, 13 HRs, 42 RBIs, .331 AVG.