As you may have noticed, the Rangers, after being swept at home by Houston, are last in all of baseball in terms of winning percentage, an unfortunate distinction that has come about due to losing 18-of-21 games.
Yu Darvish was once again less than sharp. In his last 5 outings, Darvish has put up an ERA of 5.40 while allowing an opponent OPS of .800. I suppose if your best pitcher is going to struggle, it might as well be in a lost season, but from a fan perspective, I miss Yu Darvish day each week being the highlight of baseball, regardless of wins and losses. It very well may be that he's tired, and I'm sure the All-Star break will help a little bit, but either way, I'm ready to see dominant Darvish again.
Shin-Soo Choo looked completely lost in the outfield tonight. I've criticized his defense on Twitter a few times this season, but the guy just doesn't look right. I know I've said it before, but if the ankle is bothering him, what's really the point of keeping him in the lineup right now? I know he has an immense amount of pride in doing his best and playing through this thing, but I think the Rangers should perhaps consider taking that decision out of his hands. Maybe a DL trip wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for him at this point.
Texas has one last series before the All-Star break. It's a home series against the Angels. Following the break, they'll face off against Toronto, NYY, Oakland, and the Angels again. We may not have seen the worst of all of this yet.
One Strike Away
One Strike Away is a baseball blog with a focus on the Texas Rangers.
