A devastating sweep by the Houston Astros has left the Texas Rangers reeling.
The American League West was far from finalized, but at one point it felt like the Texas Rangers had a sizeable lead.
Now, they're 55-57 and have dropped five straight games. They're coming off a 7-3 loss to the Houston Astros in a game where manager Skip Schumaker was ejected.
Texas was just swept by the Astros, and they were outscored 6-2 in their final two games against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Now 2.5 games back in the division, it's make-or-break time for this Rangers organization with the MLB Trade Deadline roughly 24 hours away.
Rangers allowed four runs in the bottom of the seventh
In the top of the seventh, Brandon Nimmo hit a solo shot that tied this game, 3-3. Things were trending in the right direction, and the Rangers had erased the 3-0 deficit they found themselves in through the first four innings.
Ultimately, none of that mattered. The Rangers allowed 15 hits in this game, and the four-spot the Astros put up in the bottom of the seventh proved to be the deciding factor.
Kumar Rocker may have allowed 10 hits in 5.1 innings, but it wasn't him who gets credit with the loss. Robby Ahlstrom did a great job of helping Rocker get out of the sixth inning, but things would go south once Tyler Alexander entered.
Alexander allowed a pair of earned runs to score on just seven pitches. He was pulled after recording just one out, but he ended up taking the loss in this one. He falls to 1-2 on the year.
Cole Winn replaced Alexander, but it's not like Winn had a great outing either. The 26-year-old allowed two earned runs himself, and he managed to only record one out in 20 pitches.
Offensively, the Rangers had just six hits in the game, four of which were from Nimmo and Jake Burger.
What do the Rangers do in the next 24 hours?
At this point, it feels like the Rangers need a major shakeup, so it'll be interesting to see how this team operates.
Adding a reliever, or two, or three, feels necessary. The Rangers wouldn't turn down a bat either, but time and time again it's been late collapses that have taken them out of games.
The Rangers are five games below .500 on the road, but thankfully they'll play their next six at home. It's set to be a busy, busy 24 hours for this front office, and if not, Texas might be kissing their playoff hopes goodbye.
