Texas Rangers have incurred the wrath of the baseball gods

The baseball gods have not forgiven the Texas Rangers for complaining about the San Diego Padres continuing to play hard.

Let’s go back to August 17. The Texas Rangers were 10-10 heading into their game against the San Diego Padres, sitting in third place in the AL West. Then the Blowout Heard Around Baseball happened, with Fernando Tatis Jr. earning the ire of the Rangers for daring to hit a grand slam on a 3-0 pitch during a game the Padres had well in hand. Manny Machado had a ball thrown behind him, tempers flared, and the Rangers griped about the unwritten rules of the game being broken.

Naturally, this ranting and raving awoke the baseball gods. They heard the uproar and decided that yes, the offending team must be punished. The time of retribution was at hand.

And so, the Padres used that grand slam to shake off their slow start and propel themselves into the playoff hunt. The trade deadline was a time of celebration, as San Diego completely overhauled their roster.

The Rangers? Well, the baseball gods have taken umbrage at their complaining and have acted accordingly. That solid start is just a faded memory in another season of disappointment, as the Rangers have posted a 3-17 record since that day.

The baseball gods made certain that the message was sent. The Rangers allowed a grand slam in every one of their four games against the Padres, and lost the final two games in walkoff fashion. Texas had an eight game losing streak and is currently in the midst of a six game losing streak.

Maybe the gods will take pity on the Rangers and allow them to have some level of success in September. Or, as is more likely, they will watch as the team manages to win just enough to fall out of the Kumar Rocker/Jack Leiter sweepstakes, keeping them from landing a possible future ace.

The baseball gods have frowned upon the Texas Rangers since they invoked the unwritten rules of the game. Their punishment does not appear to be close to coming to an end.