Sam Dyson closes out the game against the Astros

Ranger pitchers walked 8, closer Shawn Tolleson was not available, Nick Martinez only went 5 innings, and a tired bullpen was tasked with closing out the last 4 innings of the game yet the Rangers were able to hold on and win this game 4-3. It was the same score from the night before yet this time, the Rangers scored early to jump ahead and were able to hold on to the lead through the middle and late innings. I will say this for the bullpen, they have been awful for most of the season, but these last two nights they have been asked to close out tight ballgames against a good opponent and each time they have done their job. I give a lot of credit to Sam Freeman, Spencer Patton, Jake Diekman, Sam Dyson, and Shawn Tolleson. Each of those guys played big roles in closing out these last two wins.

Freeman, who was clearly tiring from being used in 7 out of 10 games in the homestand, did walk two, but was able to get a huge strikeout of Luis Valbuena with the bases loaded. Spencer Patton came on and was easily able to get through his 1.1 innings, and that included an impressive strikeout of phenom Carlos Correa. Jake Diekman came on in the 8th for the second straight night and gave up a hit and a walk, but was also able to get a double play grounder and a flyout to get through with no damage. Finally, with Shawn Tolleson not available Sam Dyson was brought in to close out the game and it did get a little bit hairy when he hit Jose Altuve to put two runners on base with only one out. Dyson though bounced back and struck out Carlos Gomez and got Carlos Correa to ground out to end the game. Thankfully, the team has today off to rest and travel to Seattle and the bullpen should get the next two days off as Cole Hamels will be pitching Friday night and hopefully he will be able to give the team 7-8 innings and allow guys like Sam Freeman, Jake Diekman, and Sam Dyson an extra day to rest. They were each used extensively in the Giants series and in the Astros series. The Rangers have been playing a lot of close games lately necessitating using the bullpen in high stress situations. If the Rangers can get the bullpen pitching this well on a more consistent basis that would help them in this playoff race, because that is their biggest achilles heel and could be what keeps them from either the wild card game or seriously competing for the division. I mentioned that as one of the keys for the rest of the season yesterday and time and again through this homestand they delivered with the exception being the first two games of the Yankees series, and the middle game of the Giants series.

They finished the homestand 7-3 and the offense and bullpen were the biggest reasons why. This is the standard of play that they are going to need through these last two months to stay in the race and be able to possibly make the playoffs. The playoffs a long shot as soon as a week ago can happen for this team. As we stand on August 6th they are 5 games back of the Astros, with 7 games remaining against Houston, they are two games back of Toronto for the second wild card spot, and 3 games back of the Los Angeles Angels for the first wild card spot. The race is right there in front of them and they have plenty of veterans who know what it takes to get there. Elvis Andrus, Colby Lewis, Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, Mitch Moreland, Cole Hamels, Derek Holland, and Prince Fielder have all been to the playoffs multiple times and can pass down that wisdom to the younger players about what it is like to play in a pennant chase in August and September. They can share what it was like to not only make the playoffs, but to make a World Series. Each of those players have played in a World Series and knows how hard it is to get there and how much work it takes on a daily basis. With that experience they can not only race for the wild card, but also make things interesting for the AL West. The Astros have played great,but they have never competed this late in the season. Their experienced players are primarily Carlos Gomez and Scott Kazmir. It will be interesting to see how they react to these games as we get deeper into the season. The Rangers at 5 games back are not out of it in the division race. That should still be the goal and it is an attainable goal, especially with how this homestand went. Things have changed very quickly and it looks like the Rangers are ready for the stretch run.

Other Notes

• Carlos Correa is scary good. I wrote earlier this season about dreading the Rangers having to face George Springer for the next several years, but Correa is in another class. Not a lot of people outside of Houston and baseball fans know his name, but that will change if the Astros make the playoffs and Correa is put on a national stage. He is outstanding both offensively and defensively. That guy will in the next 2-3 years be put up there with the likes of Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. Just amazing how well he has played at such a young age. Wednesday on Baseball Tonight they made the Miguel Cabrera comparison from Cabrera’s rookie season and I find that an apt comparison. Both are guys who had great success early, had great talent, and looked older than they were. We will see what happens in the future, but I was definitely impressed in my first extended viewing of Carlos Correa.
• The starters have to pitch more innings. I know the heat plays a role in the starters not pitching as long, but the bullpen is fried. They sent Keone Kela down to get some rest, Sam Freeman is approaching his high in innings pitched and appearances, and Shawn Tolleson just got done pitching 6 out of 7 days. The starters need to give some relief to the bullpen by pitching at least 6-7 innings. I am afraid that we will get to September and the guys that Banister has been able to count on will have nothing left. That is why it is key this month especially that the starters pitch longer. If that happens then maybe we will get to September and the key late inning relievers will be able to pitch their best.
• The team travels to Seattle for a 3 game series, and it is right before the start of the 20 day stretch where the team will face almost nothing but wild card contenders. The Rangers cannot be looking past the Mariners. They must be trying to stay focused on a night in, night out basis. The goal entering every series is to win that series. If they win 2 out of every 3 they will be in the playoffs come October. Just stay focused on defense, get hits with runners in scoring position, and make smart plays on the basepaths. That will give them a chance to win every game they play.
• The New York Mets have Harvey Day, and the Texas Rangers now have Hamels Day. The next Hamels Day is Friday night when the Rangers play the Mariners in the Pacific Northwest at 9:05 p.m. It will be Cole Hamels against Hisashi Iwakuma. The Rangers will try to extend their 4 game winning streak and continue their season long good play on the road. Go Rangers!!!!!