What the Rangers Have to Do to Crown Themselves 2026 American League West Champions
The 2026 MLB postseason is so close we can sniff it, and the Rangers have found themselves in the midst of a tough battle for the American League West and a spot in the Wild Card race. As of right now, they’re sitting at 55-55 in the season, and in the middle of the last Silver Boot series against the Houston Astros. Last night, the Rangers dropped Game One of the series, 11-2, in what was supposed to be a competitive game, but Skip Schumaker’s inconsistent offense couldn’t give their team enough support to get the job done. Game Two of the series is tonight at 6:10 PM CT, and veteran ace Jacob deGrom has a really good opportunity to get his squad back in the win column. With the conclusion of this Texas series this Sunday, the Rangers look forward to back-to-back home stands against subpar teams, the San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles, and have a strong opportunity to widen the gap between themselves, the Astros, and the Seattle Mariners.
Stop the Pitching Carousel
Last night's losing effort in Game One of their current three-game series at Daikin Park was hot garbage, in shorter terms, for the Rangers. Nathan Eovaldi got the nod to start and was hoping to have a decent outing, but he was shelled from the very beginning, giving up 10 hits, six runs, and two home runs in just five innings. ‘Big Game Nate’ has had an up-and-down season so far, as he’s 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA. He’s had his moments for sure throughout the season, but moments are going to get the Rangers to the playoffs. With the League’s trade deadline just two days away, on August 3rd, Texas may have to start thinking about making more moves than what they’ve done so far and try to bolster their bullpen and starting rotation. On July 29th, the Rangers made a late splash to improve their bullpen by trading for two Los Angeles Angels players: catcher Logan O’Hoppe and reliever Chase Silseth. Both 26 years old, they have untapped potential with their new team, and Silseth can make an immediate impact, as he’s had a good season so far. Until Texas goes out and gets a starting pitcher, they may find themselves closing out this season earlier than they want to, but it’s up to the front office if they want to make a big move.
Take Advantage of Inferior Opponents
It’s no secret that the Rangers can get the scoring party started early and often. Still, they’ve never been able to score more than 3-4 runs consistently game in and game out, and it showed in the series against the Tampa Bay Rays, and it showed in Game One of their series against Houston. Even though that’s been a thorn in their side, bouncing back and scoring early the next game has been one of the reasons that they’re .500 in the season. Their current series in Houston isn’t going to be easy, regardless of who the opposing pitcher is. Still, Texas’ upcoming home stand already gives them an advantage to get back-to-back series wins, as the Giants and Orioles are both below .500. Then, after the Baltimore series, they travel to Anaheim to take on the Angels, who are currently 42-68, and then face the Athletics, who are currently 45-65. If there was any stretch of baseball during the season that the Rangers need to take advantage of, it’s these next four series coming up. It’s up to Skip’s squad and the front office to put the pieces of the puzzle together and give their team the best chance to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
