The Texas Rangers took a pair of wins in their four-game series with the American League-best Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Field.
The Texas Rangers were staring down a big opportunity as they took on the Tampa Bay Rays in a four-game set at Globe Life Field over the weekend.
Texas came out strong, winning the first game 6-0, before dropping the middle two contests and then salvaging Sunday’s series finale to earn a split.
At the conclusion of the series, the Rangers find themselves with a 71-73 record, two games back of both first place in the American League West and the AL’s final Wild Card spot.
Per usual, there were plenty of takeaways from this weekend’s series, so let’s break down three of the biggest.
1 - The Rangers were right there in both of the games that they lost - In baseball, there are no moral victories or points for keeping games close, but the Rangers were certinally well within a position to win both of the series’ middle games.
On Friday, Texas nearly completed a five-run comeback as they clawed back into the game, scoring four runs on an Elias Diaz grand slam in the seventh and then plated a run in the ninth.
Unfortunately, for the Rangers, their ninth-inning comeback efforts fell just short as they stranded the tying run on base.
On Saturday, in similar fashion, Texas scored a pair in the eighth to tie the game at three and eventually send things into extra innings.
However, the Rangers allowed three runs in the tenth and would go on to lose the game 6-3.
Perhaps to some, having close losses against the AL’s best team can provide some sort of optimism.
2 - Cal Quantrill Continues to Step Up Big - Despite not even making the team out of Spring Training, Cal Quantrill has come up big time and time again for the Texas pitching staff.
In Thursday night’s series opener, Quantrill fired seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while punching out five in his second time facing Tampa Bay this season.
In his last eight starts, Quantrill has posted a 1.25 ERA, a 0.76 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .169 batting average.
With down years from Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, there’s no denying that Quantrill’s role has been massive in helping Texas maintain a strong starting staff.
3 - Jake Burger’s Power Helps Rangers Earn Split - Rangers manager Skip Schumaker has said that when hot, Jake Burger has the potential to carry a lineup.
On Sunday, with Texas looking to earn a series split, Burger smashed a pair of home runs to propel his side to victory.
There’s no doubt that if Burger remains hot through the stretch run, the Rangers' offense could be in a very good spot.
