Stock Up, Stock Down: Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers
By Scott Roche
Stock Up: Texas Rangers get some separation from Houston Astros
Just how good are the Texas Rangers this season? In their first game after the break, they quickly fell behind the Cleveland Guardians, 4-0, but responded with 12 straight runs on their way to a win. That was just the beginning of an impressive first two series following the break.
Texas won the final two games, then swept the Tampa Bay Rays out of first place in the American League East. They won all three games of the series by a combined score of 13-6 and in the process, were able to increase their lead over the Houston Astros to 4.5 games in the division.
Brought out the brooms again! 🧹🧹🧹 pic.twitter.com/dJEEUJRa9Z
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) July 19, 2023
The key for Texas in the second half of the season will be keeping the Astros at bay to win the division. By winning the division, they will secure the second AL bye for the Wild Card series, which is huge. Forcing the Astros to play more games than they need to could benefit the Rangers, should the teams meet in October.
Expect Texas to be active at the trade deadline, despite already picking up Aroldis Chapman in June from the Kansas City Royals. Another arm and bat could be added to a roster that has been pitching well and hitting the baseball with the best teams in the league.