The 2015 MLB season is now half way over, and the Texas Rangers and L.A. Angels of Anaheim are pretty much deadlocked in the battle for second place right now. The Texas Rangers sit at 41-39 while the Angels are sitting at 41-38. When April ended, if you would have told me that the Texas Rangers would be battling for second and only 5.5 games out of first at the start of July without Yu Darvish, Derek Holland, Martin Perez and their best pitcher from April being sent down, I would have called you crazy, yet here they sit.
The Rangers have done it mostly with starting pitching and timely hits from rookies like Joey Gallo and Delino Deshields (Gallo has been sent back down and DeShields is currently on the DL, but should return next week). The overall pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.94, which is just slightly higher than the AL average of 3.84, but the Rangers starters have an ERA of 3.32. The Rangers are also averaging a little over 4.30 runs per game, so if I did the math right, 4.33 is higher than 3.94, and that is why the Texas Rangers are above .500.
Now, to the series this weekend. The Rangers and Angels will play two seperate series this month, the one this weekend and the one coming up at the end of the month, after the All-Star break, and if either team can win both series they will put a little distance between themselves and their opponent. Tonight, Chi Chi Gonzalez will take on the Angels, with Wandy Rodriguez going tomorrow night and Colby Lewis going Sunday. The Texas Rangers should be able to take the series, but they have not been playing as well at home as they should be. Rangers fans in L.A. can head to Arlington to support the team in person. Create an entertaining baseball getaway by visiting Globe Life Park by using Hipmunk.com for Dallas flights that can be reserved through most major airline carriers. Hotels in Dallas can be booked near the airport, which will have fans within 30 minutes of Arlington, Texas.
I believe that it is time for the Texas Ranger to totally buy in to what Jeff Banister has been teaching them and never ever quit. They are only 5.5 games back in the West and only 1.5 games back in the Wild Card race. It is still early to be scoreboard watching, but I for one can’t help myself. I like to see the Rangers right in the mix for both the West and the Wild Card, and I will continue to keep up with the teams ahead of them to see how they are doing. The Rangers can really help themselves out if they can win more than lose going into the All-Star break and have a record they can be proud of and fans can be proud of at the break. I look forward to seeing what this team can do to the Angels over the next three nights, and I hope you do too.
