Less than a week ago, the Texas Rangers record stood at 10-10. As of the end of their most recent loss to the Seattle Mariners, their record now sits at 10-15. The team is five games away from the halfway point of the pandemic shortened season. With this mark in sight, the Rangers need to be focused now more than ever, given their recent string of losses and the numerous roster moves that they’ve needed to make since August 20th.
Headed to the IL
One of the aforementioned roster moves involved bringing up a replacement from the alternate site for outfielder Willie Calhoun who was diagnosed with a left hamstring strain. The other roster spot the Rangers needed to fill was that of shortstop Elvis Andrus. He is also dealing with a strain. This one of the lower back variety. Elvis’ spot was filled by infielder Yadiel Rivera. They filled Calhoun’s spot by adding another arm to their bullpen
Playing Time for the Bench
It is likely that Jose Trevino could see some playing time due to the left sprained ankle of Rangers starting backstop Robinson Chirinos. The good news is that the Rangers won’t need to make another roster move to correspond with the Chirinos injury. Trevino is a very solid backup catcher. He appeared in 40 games in 2019, and he has been working on his swing mechanics this past offseason. He also knows how to handle his pitching staff effectively.
Rangers Big Power Hitter
Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo is becoming well acquainted with the dimensions of the brand new Globe Life Park. This season, Gallo has already hit several home runs in his new home. He was also the first player to hit five home runs against left-handed pitching in 2020. It would seem that Gallo is very comfortable against the lefties. Since 2018, he has hit 69 home runs, 28 of which were against left-handers. That is one of the many things that the Rangers have to be impressed by when it comes to the young outfielder. Not many players, let alone power hitters, feel at ease hitting non-opposite handed pitchers.
Pitching Struggles Against the Mariners
In these strange times, not everyone is having the success that they would like. Rangers starting pitcher Jordan Lyles can certainly attest to that. Going into his next start against the Mariners, Lyles earned run average is 7.52. That is over three starts to start the year. His last start also came against Seattle on August 12th in Texas. That night, he gave up four runs in five innings of work. Over his previous two starts, Lyles has allowed 10 runs over nine innings. In his career against the Mariners, he is 1-2 with an ERA of 5.17. Every pitcher has at least one team that they don’t like facing, and it seems that the Mariners are that team for the righty Jordan Lyles.
Keep Moving Forward
The Texas Rangers have gone through a lot of ups and downs this year. They still have enough time to have a good season. They just really need to make the best of these remaining 35 games. Great things can happen when talented bats and talented pitching come together.
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