After 34 homerless games, Fielder connected in the fourth inning. Three batters later, Moreland hit one out to cap a four-run inning and propel the Rangers to a 6-2 win over the Pirates.

Two months down, four to go. It’s a long season, but the main narrative the first eight weeks has been the continued disappearances of Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland.

In baseball, slumps are long and memories are short.

Remember last year?

While this year Fielder and Moreland cannot buy a hit, at this same time last year, the only two Rangers who could get a hit at all were Fielder and Moreland.

Baseball has a funny way of equalizing itself.

Without the starts that Fielder and Moreland had in 2015, this team would not have had the chance to play into October. They would have been buried too deep.

On May 30, 2015, the Rangers won to move to .500 at 25-25. After a start slower than Prince Fielder running with Bartolo Colon on his back, the offense looked like this:

What a difference a year makes.

Fielder’s batting average has dropped 164 points in one year, Moreland’s 78. In fact, look at who was third in team batting this time last year. That guy no longer has a major league job.

Things change.

Two of the Rangers offensive cogs have been toothless. Yet the Rangers are eight games up and in first place.

Imagine what this team can do when they get hot.

*****
TONIGHT’S GAME:

Derek Holland (3-4, 5.21) vs Josh Tomlin (7-0, 3.35)
Game time: 5:10

How the Rangers hit against Tomlin.
How the Indians hit against Holland.