With second place and a .500 record slipping away, strong individual performances might dictate if the Texas Rangers finish strong.
The drive for .500, a goal generated by the DLLS Rangers Podcast crew, has stalled.
The Texas Rangers have 12 games remaining this season and need to win 10 of them to reach .500. Is it possible? Well, yeah, though they would have to figure out a way to have a winning homestand this week and win a bunch of games on the road next week.
For a while now, the Rangers have been what their record says they are, and they are no good on the road at 30-45. That’s been one of their biggest bugaboos this season.
With some goals no longer available, the Rangers can measure a successful final month through individual progress. This goes beyond Kumar Rocker and Jacob deGrom, though they certainly are toward the top of the list.
So is outfielder Wyatt Langford, who is batting .315 and slugging .574 this month. He’s batting .249 on the season with 11 homers and a .709 OPS. Getting to the finish line in his first full professional season with his foot on the gas would rate as a momentum-builder for 2025.
Langford is one of three regulars batting above .300 this month, along with Josh Jung (.306) and Nathaniel Lowe (.372). Jung is finding his footing, and that’s important as he tries to log a full, healthy season in 2025. He will be back.
Lowe might not be depending on the club’s finances. With a raise on his $7.5 million salary coming in arbitration, the Rangers might look for a more affordable alternative. But if he has made changes that have resulted in his 1.007 OPS this month, he might make the decision for the front office.
And, yeah, then there’s the rotation.
Rotation set
Nathan Eovaldi, Cody Bradford and Rocker are scheduled to start the next three teams against the Blue Jays, and deGrom, Max Scherzer and Andrew Heaney are expected to start the weekend series against the Mariners. That announcement is pending.
The Rangers don’t need to learn anything about Eovaldi, other than what he will do after the season. His four innings from reaching 300 between the past two seasons, which will make his player option for next season worth $20 million. The smart move is to take free agency, and Eovaldi is smart.
Bradford looks to rebound from his rough outing last week at Arizona.
Rocker and deGrom will be making their 2024 home debuts. For Rocker, it will be his Globe Life Field debut in his second career start, so it’s not just another start for the rookie. DeGrom will likely be amped up for his start.
But the goal is the same for both, to log innings and get ready for offseason workouts in anticipation of pitching in the rotation next season. They both have plenty to learn.
Scherzer would pitch Saturday as he continues to show suitors that he will be able to pitch a full season in 2025. On the surface, it seems as if the Rangers would be out on Scherzer, but Chris Young said that the Rangers haven’t closed the door on anyone.
Heaney would wrap things up Sunday, unless Jack Leiter is given another start before the season ends. That seems unlikely this time through the rotation, especially with the Rangers needing innings behind Rocker and deGrom.
Final homestand
The Rangers typically pack the last homestand of a season with gobs of fan-friendly giveaways, and this week will feature more of the same.
Two of the promotions required special tickets and are already sold out — Last Chance Night tonight and the True Brvnd Hat Hispanic Heritage Night on Wednesday. Only a handful of tickets remain for the Thursday theme game, the Diamond Days Ring Series featuring a Josh Sborz World Series replica ring. Tickets are still available for Friday’s Good Good Golf theme.
The big ones are Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday giveaway to the first 15,000 fans is the Adolis Garcia cartwheel bobblehead as part of Hispanic Heritage Night. On Sunday, it’s Mystery Replica World Series Ring day, when the first 29,000 fans bring home either a Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Garcia or Eovaldi ring.
Good stuff on the field and at the turnstiles for the final time this season.
Doggy video!
Dogs are the best, example 12 million. Enjoy.
Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com
