The Almost Champions series continues with June of 2009. The Rangers entered the month with a 30-20 record. They were hitting the cover off the ball, having scored over seven runs in 14 of their first thirty games. They finished June with a record if 41-35, a record of 11-15 for the month.
Kevin Millwood was pitching well as the Rangers ace, highlighted by a 1-0 gem he pitched against the Blue Jays on June 11. The difficulty scoring continued for the team as they scored an average of 3.5 runs pre game for the remainder of the month. Several big names were in a slump. Several pitchers including young prospects Derek Holland and Tommy Hunter pitched some great games only to be let down by the offense.
Growing Together
Now the nucleus of the team was growing. Players like Josh Hamilton, David Murphy, Holland and Elvis Andrus were beginning to make their mark. The Rangers were not out of the race and it was getting close to the All-Star game. Fans were beginning to take notice. There seemed to be something different about this team.
The Rangers made it to the All-Star break with a record of 48-39, still hovering around ten games above .500. On July 8th the Rangers beat the Angels to take sole possession of first place in the division. The surprising thing was that this team was doing it with pitching. The bats were there some as well, but you could see the pitchers getting more confident. They rolled out of the All-Star break with the opportunity to continue rolling with the division.
Finishing Strong
The Rangers then went on a streak at the end of the month winning ten out of fourteen. They finished the month with a record of 58-43.
Elvis Andrus was getting consideration for rookie of the year around the DFW area, however the national media was paying him no mind. Michael Young was doing well at third base also. Kinsler tweaked his hamstring but was not going to be out long according to team doctors. Hamilton was looking great in the outfield and David Murphy was a better player than anyone thought coming over from Boston. The Rangers were rolling into August with a chance to actually win the division!
Up Next: August and September 2009.
