Jake Burger came over to the Texas Rangers in a trade in December 2024. On Wednesday, Burger provided the big swings with two home runs as the Rangers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 at Globe Life Field to finish off an impressive series sweep.
How impressive? It was the first time that the Brewers, who are in first place in the National League Central Division and have baseball's best record, were swept in a series since their opening series this season.
Burger's two homers provided more than enough offense for the Rangers, who are creeping even closer to more relevancy in the American League West Standings. While the division-leading Houston Astros played a night game against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Rangers now sit two games out of first place in the AL Central.
What's better than that? The Rangers are now one game behind an AL Wild Card spot.
Talk about wild. Texas has been playing incredible baseball lately, winning four in a row and seven out of their last 10 games.
While the Rangers have had a series of players step up in the nick of time, Wednesday's hero was Burger.
"It’s been pretty awesome just across the board," Burger said after the game. "Again, it feels like it's somebody new every single night that's getting in the mix and doing something cool. It’s just really cool to have that collective team identity. That makes it really exciting."
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy has had a front-row seat in the dugout as a bunch of younger players are simply performing at a stellar level. It makes him smile broadly.
"I think it's been fun for [the veterans] to watch," Bochy said Tuesday after the Rangers' win over the Brewers. "We're seeing these young guys coming up and having fun, playing loose, playing with joy. When you look at them, they're all smiling, having a good time. I think the enthusiasm from the young guys is contagious to the veterans. They're having a blast too."
Rangers starter Merrill Kelly worked 4 2/3 innings of three-run ball, allowing Milwaukee's Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio to hit back-to-back homers.
The Rangers will take Thursday off before starting a three-game weekend series against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Both teams are needing to put together wins at this crucial time. For Rangers and Mets fans, this series will be worth watching.