Two Rangers Key for Possible AL Repeat
By Editorial Staff
The Texas Rangers have been down this road before, the road to October that is. More than likely, I’m sure they’d like to finish the job this time around.
The Angels, while on life-support so to speak, still have a pulse in the AL West, as they are five games back with nine games left. Anaheim does have Texas at home for the season’s final trio of games – if they are still mathematically alive things could get interesting.
But aside from that, scheduling severely favors the Rangers. Texas starts a three-game set in Oakland tonight, where they will face an A’s team they are 11-5 against. In those 16 contests, the Rangers have scored 101 runs to Oakland’s 58.
They will then travel back home to face the Mariners, a team they are 12-4 against. So, it is very possible Texas has the West wrapped up before they travel to southern California for the final three games of the year.
Getting back to the World Series for the second time in two years is something way within the realm of possibility for the Rangers. From a hitting perspective, they are looking just fine, as they are third in the majors in runs scored(801), and tied for first in team batting average(.280).
Rangers starting pitching has also gotten the job done this year – as a staff they have accumulated more wins(70) than any other AL rotation, and they are second in WAR as well. They are also third in the AL with a combined ERA of 3.68. Texas’ rotation, aside from posting good numbers, is also pretty deep, which leads to one advantage that could be huge come playoff time.
Due to what one could easily word as a second-half collapse, Alexi Ogando is most likely going to be moved to the bullpen come the postseason. Now pre-June his ERA was under 2.40 and he was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. August was a different story though, as Ogando had numerous rough outings causing his ERA for the month to balloon over 7.00.
But in his last start, Ogando looked real good, going six strong innings against Cleveland, allowing only two hits and striking out four. Let’s say Ogando goes to the pen in a long relief role – and we all know that teams primed for the AL playoffs possess the strongest offenses in baseball. Say, Derek Holland gets touched up for four or five runs in a start. And Ogando is thrown out to stop the bleeding, and he can give you three or four scoreless innings.
This actually could be an advantage, that could help Texas steal a big game come playoff time. None of the other teams eligible for postseason play right now have this luxury – a guy with Ogando’s ability who can come out in long relief.
Back to Holland for a second. I believe that the success of Derek Holland will be paramount for the Rangers to get back to where they were last year. Holland, who will turn 25 in October, is a great talent, but he has to stay consistent. Here’s a fantastic example of what I’m talking about:
On July 7th and July 14th, Derek Holland threw for two complete game shutouts in a row against the A’s and the Mariners. In his next start against the Angels, he gave up seven earned runs in 5.1 innings. Then in his next two games, he throws six scoreless innings against the Twins, and another complete game shutout against the Blue Jays. And that’s kind of how it’s been for Holland – a mixture of greatness and misery.
The Milwaukee Brewers are arguably the most balanced team in the NL, but whether they can stand up to Philly’s rotation and the upstart Diamondbacks remains to be seen. Texas has the pieces to repeat as AL Champs, as they have the most balance in the AL. One things for sure, it will most assuredly be fun to watch.