Sunday, August 03

The Rangers continue to hover around .500 and third place in the American League West with the best pitching staff in baseball but a bottom-five offense. 

The club has embarked on a 10-day, nine-game road trip between Tampa, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis that could end up being one of the most important stretches of the season. Here are some answers to the things that are on your mind regarding the Rangers.  

I noticed Adolis García was in the line high-fiving guys after the game Sunday. How would you assess his demeanor and mood in the dugout with the week off? -- @RangerRon89

García, Texas’ 2023 postseason hero, has struggled as much as any Ranger this season. That has led, most recently, to some days on the bench to try to get himself right, manager Bruce Bochy told the media last homestand. 

García didn’t play any game of the series win over the Cardinals this weekend. He also wasn’t in the starting lineup for the 5-1 series-opening loss to the Rays on Tuesday night, though he entered as a pinch-hitter and went 1-for-2. 

“I mean, obviously, [we want him back in the lineup] if he's feeling good and able to make these changes and contribute,” president of baseball operations Chris Young said on Sunday. “But a lot of this is performance driven and about who's going well right now. It's going to be performance driven at this point.”

Despite all of that, García has seemed in good spirits considering his situation. He has been a good teammate and is lively, both in the clubhouse and in the dugout. Obviously, nobody wants to be benched -- regardless of what the Rangers are calling it -- but he understands the needs of the team.  

How is the clubhouse transitioning with Bret Boone? -- @NoelC_Adam

Though it maybe hasn’t fully translated on the field just yet, the guys seem to be taking to Boone as a hitting coach, just as Boonie is adjusting to them. 

Boone said on his first day that he just wanted to spend some time getting acclimated to the situation, taking it all in instead of overstepping before he had really gotten a feel for the club and the players. A few weeks in, it seems Boone is focused on simplifying everything and bringing an additional and separate voice to the more analytical ones of Justin Viele and Seth Conner. 

Outside of Saturday’s shutout loss to the Cardinals, it has felt like the offense is maybe on the precipice of something. Hopefully I’m right. 

What's the vibe in the club? Did this last series inspire more confidence that they can return to 2023 form, especially given that pitching has been on a historic tear so far? -- @Mr__Polk

To be quite honest, the vibe in the clubhouse is much better than the record would show. Even through the struggles in May, almost every guy is optimistic that the Rangers have not reached their full potential yet. 

I think how elite the pitching has been allows for some of that optimism. But it’s also about the experience of the guys on the team. It’s not filled with young guys who have never done it. It’s an experienced clubhouse that believes the players will get back to performing at the level they’re capable of. 

“We’ve got a lot of guys with experience in here,” shortstop Corey Seager said. “A lot of guys that have succeeded up here. Nobody's wondering if they can do it. Everybody's just trying to figure out how to get back there.”

Chat (K Landry), are we (Rangers offense) cooked (probably have to trade Tyler Mahle/Patrick Corbin/Chris Martin/etc.)? -- @rangergasm

I wouldn’t say any of that just yet. There are about two months left until the July 31 Trade Deadline. That’s a whole lotta time in a division that is still ripe for the taking. 

If the series win over the Cardinals is any indication -- and it’s really a 50-50 shot either way -- the offense could be right on the edge of breaking out. Even bad offenses can win two of three games, but there were notably better plate appearances and approaches this weekend. Obviously it has to continue and be consistent, but I think this is far from over. 

The aforementioned best rotation in baseball took a major hit on Sunday, when right-hander Nathan Eovaldi landed on the injured list with triceps fatigue. 

Eovaldi was named the Rangers’ Player of the Month for May as voted on by media members and broadcasters who cover the club on a regular basis. He posted a 0.68 ERA (two earned runs in 26 2/3 innings) over five starts, the third-best ERA among MLB pitchers with at least five starts last month. 

Eovaldi also ranked highly across the Majors in opponents’ average (fifth, .168), opponents’ OPS (sixth, .489), WHIP (sixth, 0.86) and hits per nine innings (sixth, 5.40) among pitchers with five starts in May.

Rangers rookie Kumar Rocker will be activated off the injured list to take Eovaldi’s spot in the rotation Wednesday night. In his second rehab assignment, Rocker pitched four-plus hitless innings for Triple-A Round Rock, allowing just one walk and recording five strikeouts. He retired the first 12 hitters he faced before Trey Mancini worked a walk to lead off the fifth inning. 

“It’s good,” Rocker said before going on his rehab assignment. “I feel a little bit refreshed and just ready to get back at it. The time off allowed me to just focus on the mental side of the game, seeing what I can do better, executing pitches better, just playing better baseball in general and helping these guys win. It's been a roller-coaster ride so far, and it was good just getting a little time to think about it and see what I can do better.”

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