 Shhhhhh, don’t look now but the Texas Rangers are actually in First Place in the AL West! It sounds weird doesn’t it? Usually, anyone who follows the Rangers can count on three columns in any given year about the team’s chances. The first is about how the pitching staff still sucks and breaks down why they are off to yet another “slow” start. The second usually comes around the All Star break, when the Rangers somehow manage to pull together and threaten to make a race of the AL West, while the final column is the obituary for another season of futility. In a nut shell it sucks cheering for a team that never spends money on pitching and who hasn’t won a pennant in almost ten years, but even die hard pessimists have to admit that this years team looks like the real deal...at least so far.
Slow starts and crappy pitching are as synonymous with the Texas Rangers as Ipods are with music players. But
this year not only did the Rangers come out of the gate fast, but
thanks to the resurgence of Kevin Millwood and a frisky group of young
pitchers, not only has the pitching improved, it’s kept the team in a
lot games when their bats were cold. In the past the Rangers have been about offense, offense and more offense but ironically enough with Josh Hamilton missing a good portion of the season and the offense sputtering, it’s been the pitching staff that has held the team together.
Of course before anyone goes out and starts printing playoff
tickets and buying pink Ranger hats for their girlfriends, perhaps we
should all just take a moment to look at the teams June Schedule
because it’s scarier than the thought of having to sit through “The Reader” again. With
six straight road games against Yankees and Red Sox, followed by a six
game home stand against the Blue Jays, who only trail the Red Sox by 2
games, and the Dodgers who currently own the best record in baseball
we’re all about to find out whether the Rangers are going to be
contenders or the Dead Last Rangers of old.
This year if the
Rangers are going to go anywhere besides a local Bennigan’s to drown
their sorrows in October, then their offense is going to have to be
more consistent. Ian
Kinsler and Michael Young are slugging their way to another All Star
appearance and Nelson Cruz has been a nice surprise, but they’re going
to need a healthy Josh Hamilton and a more consistent Chris Davis to
compete with stacked teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox. In
addition to a healthy lineup the Rangers are also going to have to
learn to be more patient against top of the line pitchers like Justin
Verlander and A.J. Burnett, because if not they don't stand an ice
cube's chance in hell come Fall.
Looking back over the first two months of the season, I think that
Ranger fans have to be pleased with a 27-19 record and a 3 game lead in
the AL West. Sure
going 0-6 against the Detroit Tigers earlier in the season puts a
damper on any championship aspirations, but if the Rangers can make it
through June and still be on top of the AL West then even the bitterest
pessimists will have to admit that the team's legit. For now though, lets just enjoy the fact that for the first time in 10 years the Rangers don't suck!
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Sports Junkie 
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