Pete Kozma unable to catch a Jurickson Profar throw for an error.

It was a really good night for the Rangers. Their trade chips increased in value.

Jurickson Profar, playing for Elvis who’s on paternity leave, showed the ability to hit left-handed pitching, battling for a twelve-pitch ground out in his first at-bat, laying down a perfect sac bunt in his second, and doubling in his third at-bat, all while batting right handed. His career average batting right handed is .183.  His OPS batting right is .490. With number like that, Jurickson Profar is not a switch hitter, he is merely masquerading as one. But he has shown improvement in Triple-A batting right handed, and he got one of his two hits batting right handed. And let’s hope at least one scout saw him get that double right handed.

Profar’s trade value has dramatically risen from a bag of practice balls to maybe a low-level relief pitcher.

Andrew Cashner’s trade stock rose as well. He threw seven really strong innings, and had a no-hitter going through five and two-thirds. Then Pete Kozma, playing first for what may have been the first time his his life, dropped a throw from Profar that would have ended the sixth. The next batter homered for the first hit of the game. In Kozma’s defense, it was a perfect throw, and nobody can be expected to make a play under conditions that ideal. Also in his defense, since he is a .116 hitter, he has never really been on first as a hitter, so it was all new territory for him.

The Carlos Gomez market increased as well, on the strength of a 2-for-5 night that featured his twelfth home run. Certainly that’s worth a few prospects.

All in all, it was a nice night for the future of the Texas Rangers.

As for the present? While it’s nice to get a win and avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Red Sox, it does no good to get too excited about it. We’ve seen this team unable to get any momentum going for most of the season.

But hey, let’s take it for face value. A one-game winning streak. And Profar might have some value.

The very definition of win-win.

*****
NO GAME TODAY.