Now, that was a game worthy of the World Champions.

After seeing their offense wander aimlessly in the woods for the nearly all season, things clicked last night. This is what the promise of the Rangers has been all along.

Never mind the masterful eight innings Jon Gray delivered, allowing only one run and three hits while walking none in what was his best game of the season. Two of those singles came in the first inning when, thanks to a stolen base in the middle, Washington scored its run. It would be their only glory of the night.

Gray mowed down twelve in a row after the second of those singles. It wasn’t until a two-out single in the fifth broke that string. He went on to retire the next ten after that.

That in itself would have been the headline. But offense finally got untracked. Finally. Finally. Even though Seager went just 1-for-5, the rest of the lineup did what it did so often last year. It picked up the slack for a slumping teammate.

It took a while, though. It looked like the Rangers were going to sleepwalk through another game through the first three innings. Then the Ambien wore off. Hopefully it wasn’t just for one game.

Marcus Semien tripled. Then doubled. Josh Smith continued his All-Star bid with a home run. Leody Taveras knocked one over the fense as well. Evan Carter, who has turned himself into a platoon player by his inability to hit lefties, got a hit late in the game and stole a base. That’s a rare occurrence for the Rangers this year, coming into last night’s game dead last in stolen bases in the American League with thirteen. Now fourteen. The Nationals, by the way, have fifty-four. 

It took a while, not only in the game but in the season, for the Rangers offense to show up. Let’s hope last night’s 7-1 victory is the beginning of their offense coming out of hibernation.

This team is going to need it today with Heaney on the mound.

*****

TODAY’S GAME: