The 2021 Texas Rangers

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Game 38 - @ Giants (20-15)

Rangers 3 - Allard W (3-0), Hearn H (5), De Geus H (3), Heuer SV (5)
Giants 1 - DeSclafani L (2-2)

A tight contest ends with the Rangers splitting the series with the Giants. A 2-run home run from Adolis Garcia in the 6th broke the 1-1 tie, securing a lead that the Rangers did not relinquish.

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Game 39 - @ Astros (24-13)

Rangers 7 - Arihara W (1-5)
Astros 1 - Javier L (4-2)

We return from an off day to start a 4 game series with an impressive win away at the Astros. Nick Solak and Leodys Taveras both had multi-RBI games, with Solak especially looking for a good performance to kickstart a poor season for him. On the mound, Kohei Arihara pitch a decent game, striking out 3 and giving up just the one run in 7.0 IP for his first win in MLB.

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Game 40 - @ Astros (24-14)

Rangers 11 - De Geus W (1-0), Bush BS (4), Kennedy H (3), Kela BS (2)
Astros 9 - Garcia L (2-1)
11 innings

The Rangers come out on top of an offensive marathon that featured six home runs and 26 hits between the two teams. The Rangers had taken the lead in the 4th with a 2-run homer for Adolis Garcia, and though the Astros put up 3 in the 6th, the Rangers responded with a 5-run 7th inning, including a 3-run home run for Nick Solak, making it 7-3. The Astros would level the game going into the final inning, where both teams added a further 2 runs each to force extras. The winning shot came from Joey Gallo, who hit a 2-run home run in the 11th.

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Game 41 - @ Astros (24-15)

Rangers 9 - Bush W (2-1), Kennedy H (4), Heuer SV (6)
Astros 7 - Smith L (1-2) BS (2)

The Rangers secure the win in a game that swing on two big innings. The Rangers initially ran into a 5-1 lead in the 3rd, including a bases-clearing double for Adolis Garcia. The Astros then took the lead in the 6th with a 6-run inning, including a 3-run homer for Yordan Alvarez - his 9th of the year. The Rangers immediately reclaim the lead with a 3-run 7th inning and add another run before the end, including a first Ranger home run for Thairo Estrada, while Adolis Garcia added another RBI single to his impressive sophomore season. His line for the day would end 4-5 with a double, home run and 5 RBIs.

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Game 42 - @ Astros (24-16)

Rangers 4 - GIbson L (4-3)
Astros 6 - McCullers Jr W (2-1), Garcia H (3), Urquidy SV (4)

The Astros prevent the sweep thanks to a 5-run 3rd inning, including a 2-run single from Carlos Correa, currently hitting over .310 AVG in his contract year. Still an impressive series win for the Rangers, who continue to hang onto the coat tails of the wildcards.

Adolis Garcia picks up the AL Player of the Week award, having hit .375 with 5 home runs. He has been playing everyday in LF recently in place of the stumbling AJ Pollock, though we may look to move him into CF with Leodys Taveras having cooled off since his hot start.

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Game 43 - vs Yankees (19-21)

Yankees 5 - Nicasio L (0-1) BS (1), Wilson H (2)
Rangers 7 - Heuer W (5-0), Kela SV (4)

We come back from 3-0 down in the 3rd to kick off the series with a win. A big day from Leodys Taveras helped us along, as he went 2-5 with an RBI double and a 3-run home run, while former Yankee Thairo Estrada batted in a run in 8th on one of his two hits. Nick Solak had to come out of the game early after a collision on a base, we wait to hear his diagnosis.

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Transactions

Despite not knowing Nick Solak's injury status yet, we put him on the 7-day IL as we are currently without Isiah Kiner-Falefa for a few days. We call up Anderson Tejeda from AAA Round Rock.

Wes Benjamin is also moved down to The Express, as we are lacking some fresh arms in the bullpen right now. Brett Martin comes back into the bullpen in his place.

Game 44 - vs Yankees (19-22)

Yankees 7 - German W (2-2), Green SV (4)
Rangers 3 - Arihara L (1-6)

The Yankees pile the runs on as the comfortably beat the Rangers in Globe Life, with home runs from Brett Gardner and Clint Frazier helping their cause. Rangers starter Kohei Arihara gives up 4 runs in 6 innings, walking 3 as well.

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Game 45 - vs Yankees (20-22)

Yankees 7 - Kluber W (3-3), Russ H (2)
Rangers 2 - King L (0-2)

The Rangers put in a lackluster performance to lose out again to the Yankees. Big days from Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge helped out the Yankees, with Hicks going 2-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs, while Judge scored his 17th home run of the season to bring home three in the 8th.

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Game 46 - vs Yankees (21-22)

Yankees 3 - Montgomery L (4-3), Wilson BS (1)
Rangers 6 - Lyles W (3-4), Bush H (1), Heuer (1), Kela SV (5)

In a to-and-fro affair, the Rangers put up 4 in the 6th to secure the victory and split the series with the Yankees. It was former Yankee Thairo Estrada who did the damage, going 2-4 including a 3-run home run in the 6th to give the Rangers a lead they didn't give up.

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Transactions

We do some more rejigging of our bullpen, with Brett Martin and Wes Benjamin again swapping roster spots, with the latter being promoted from AAA Round Rock in place of the former.

Game 47 - vs Astros (26-18)

Astros 3 - Urquidy L (1-6), Taylor BS (3)
Rangers 4 - Kela W (2-1)
10 innings

The Rangers overcome a 3-0 deficit from the 3rd inning to beat the Astros in extras. A 2-run single from Khris Davis and an RBI single from Leodys Taveras levelled the game for the Rangers. After the Astros failed to score in the 10th, a single from AJ Pollock was followed by an intentional walk for Rougned Odor and another walk for Thairo Estrada. With the bases loaded, pitcher Jose Urquidy gave up another baserunner to give the Rangers the walk-off win.


(I hadn't realised I had turned off the modified extra innings, though I won't lose too much sleep over it)

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Game 48 - vs Astros (26-19)

Astros 10 - McCullers Jr W (3-1)
Rangers 7 - Allard L (3-1)

There was plenty of offense on show in the second game of the series as the Astros run out 10-7 victors. Carlos Correa had a big day, going 3-4 with two double and a home run, good for 4 RBIs on the day. The Rangers did attempt a comeback when they went 8-1 down in the 7th, pulling back 5 in the bottom of the 7th, but the Astros ultimately were able to put the game to bed.

On a side note, All Star voting begins today. I have turned off the requirement for every team to be represented, so it will be interesting to see who gets in. In terms of Rangers hopes, I reckon Adolis Garcia has a shot of making it in, though it could be tough with the competition in the AL outfield and at DH.

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Game 49 - vs Astros (27-19)

Astros 4 - Odorizzi L (4-3)
Rangers 9 - Hearn W (1-0)

The Rangers take the lid off a tight game in the 8th inning, putting up 6 runs with the game sat at 3-3 to secure a series win over the Astros. The game marked a big day for Joey Gallo, who hit two home runs with four RBIs - his 7th and 8th bombs of the year. Rougned Odor also had a 3-run bomb of his own in the 8th following Gallo's, sealing the win for the Rangers.

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Game 50 - @ Angels (21-27)

Rangers 2 - Bush L (2-1)
Angels 3 - Quintana W (3-3), Iglesias SV (11)

The Angels come out on top in a tight game devoid of big offense. The mercurial Mike Trout set the Angels on their way with a 2-run homer in the first, his 11th of the year, before a home run from Darin Ruf in the 4th and an RBI single in the 5th from Sam Huff levelled the game. The tie didn't last long, as SS Jose Iglesias hit just his second homer of the year to break the tie, a result they would hold onto.

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Transactions

We pick up IF Ronald Torreyes on waivers from the Phillies as infield depth. He's been poor at the plate but has been showing excellent defense, something we have been missing from our 2B position. We need to see where he will fit in, as Nick Solak will return shortly from his concussion sustained on May 17 - I suspect his spot will come in place of 1B Darin Ruf.

Game 51 - @ Angels (22-27)

Rangers 6 - Lyles W (4-4), Hearn H (6), Kela SV (6)
Angels 4 - Guerra L (1-2)

Another 6-run inning helped the Rangers split the series with the Angels, despite the Angels outhitting Texas by 10-6. A Joey Gallo RBI single, followed by a 2-run single from Nate Lowe and a 3-run homer from Rougned Odor secured the win, with all runs being scored off reliever Javy Guerra.

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Transactions

We option Anderson Tejeda to AAA Round Rock to make space for newly acquired Ronald Torreyes.

Game 52 - @ Mariners (25-25)

Rangers 7 - Gibson W (5-3)
Mariners 3 - Sheffield L (1-5)

Big days from Leodys Taveras and Adolis Garcia help the Rangers to a victory over the Mariners - Taveras goes 2-5 including a bases-clearing double, while Garcia goes 3-5 including a 3-run home run in the 7th. Garcia continues to lead the team in home runs, today being his 14th on the year.

Around the League

• The Astros make a of relievers with the Orioles, sending Bryan Abreu to get Paul Fry in return - Fry is rocking a 7.40 ERA on the year, giving up nearly 2 HR per 9 innings.

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Game 53 - @ Mariners (25-26)

Rangers 2 - Allard L (3-2)
Mariners 5 - Paxton W (5-2), Taylor SV (7)

The Rangers fall to a defeat against the Mariners, with the help of home runs from Kyle Lewis and Tommy La Stella.

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Game 54 - @ Mariners (26-25)

Rangers 7 - Arihara L (1-7)
Mariners 11 - Gilbert W (2-3)

The Mariners come out on top in an explosive game at the plate, although the Rangers did attempt rally from 10-0 down in the 5th, and had put up 4 runs in the 9th before Erik Swanson saw out the game for the Mariners.

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Game 55 - @ Mariners (27-25)

Rangers 11 - King W (1-2)
Mariners 1 - Margevicius L (1-1)

An efficient offensive performance sees the Rangers split the away series against the Mariners, with a number of batters recording multiple hits. Thairo Estrada continues to make his mark for the Rangers, going 2-5 including a 2-run home run to set the Rangers on their way. Adolis Garcia also goes yard for the 15th time, putting him 3rd in the AL.

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At the end of May, we sit 3rd place in the AL West on 27-28, 5 games back from the Houston Astros, and 3.5 off the Wildcard spots. We are still very much hanging onto the coattails of the postseason contenders, and some of our individual performances have been helping us massively.

Adolis Garcia continues to rake, hitting 15 home runs and sits =3rd in the AL (Judge, Sano lead on 25), and is slashing .332/.364/.652. He is very much in the conversation for an All-Star spot also. The offense in general continues to help us along, as we are maintaining top half across a number of statistics.


Pitching and defense continue to be a problem, as again we continue to sit bottom half in the AL. Kohei Arihara continues to be hard done by his 1-7 W-L record, with a 3.85 FIP across 12 starts. Kyle Gibson continues to have a strong season - despite a 4.55 ERA, he is averaging 8 K/9. In the bullpen, Keone Kela has proven to be a solid pickup from the Padres, with 6 saves and a 2.75 ERA. Codi Heuer continues to keep his ERA low, though is still struggling with striking out batters.


American League


The 31-24 Rays lead the AL East by 0.5 games over the Red Sox, with the Sox currently in possession of the WC2 spot. WC1 is currently held by the Tigers, who sit on 33-22, 2.5 games behind the AL Central leading White Sox. Their season has been dealt a hammer blow though, as their ace and Cy Young candidate Lucas Giolito will be at least 12 months with a torn UCL.


Sean Manaea claimed the Pitcher of the Month honours in the AL, as he goes 5-0 for the Athletics with an ERA of 1.29 (2.73 ERA on the season). Aaron Judge of the Yankees claimed Batter of the Month, as he hit 14 home runs along with a .291 AVG for the month.


National League


The Mets continue to lead the NL East on 32-21, with the Phillies close behind on 33-22. The Cardinals are leading the NL Central on 30-24, 1 game ahead of the Brewers, who were on a 12-game losing streak at the start of the month. In the West, the Dodgers are running away with it on 41-13, 11.5 games ahead of the Padres.


Two Dodgers claim the Batting and Pitching titles for the month of May, with Clayton Kershaw named best Pitcher after going 4-0 with an ERA of just 1.36 over 40 innings of work. Max Muncy was the Batter of the Month, hitting for .344 with 10 home runs

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Transactions

Nick Solak returns to the active roster after missing time with a concussion. To make space, we have DFA'd Ronald Torreyes, with the hope of stashing him in AAA.

Game 56 - @ Rockies (18-36)

Rangers 5 - Kela W (3-1), Heuer SV (7), Benjamin BS (1)
Rockies 3 - Bard L (0-2)
10 innings

We make hard work of the lowest ranked team in the NL, but we eventually come out on top after extras. RBI singles from Darin Ruf and Thairo Estrada in the 10th helped seal the game. It comes at a cost, with Adolis Garcia having to come out injured with a back injury - it is diagnosed as a lat muscle strain, and he will miss just one week of play.