Stock Up, Stock Down: Astros, Rangers, Yankees, Giants

By Scott Roche | Sep 8, 2023

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 03: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros slides to second base against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning in Game Five of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park on November 03, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer (21) walks off the mound after striking out Arizona Diamondbacks Christian Walker (53) to end the fifth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix on July 4, 2023. /

Stock Down: Texas Rangers

On the flip side of things from this week’s series, the Rangers are sliding fast in the standings and are currently not in a postseason position, falling behind the Toronto Blue Jays.

This week against Houston was about as bad as it has been all season for the Rangers. They were outscored 39-10 in the three games, allowing 13, 14, and 12 runs. Giving up that many runs on a series is not a recipe to reach the playoffs.

The Houston Astros are the first team in MLB history to record 50 hits and 16 home runs in a 3-game series.
— MLB Metrics (@MLBMetrics) September 7, 2023

At the trade deadline, Texas acquired Max Scherzer from the New York Mets to be the ace of the staff, and trying to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Astros, they sent their new pitcher to the mound to try and stop the bleeding. It didn’t happen.

Scherzer allowed seven hits, six runs, two walks, and three home runs in just three innings to cap off the worst three-game series the Rangers have played this season. On the flip side, his former teammate with the Mets, Justin Verlander, went seven innings, giving up four hits, two runs and striking out six.

Texas has the perfect opportunity to turn things around this weekend when they host the Oakland Athletics, but with the way things are going, there’s no guarantee that it will happen.

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