Texas Rangers: A Pitching Paradox

Jul 29, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos (61) and pitching coach Mike Maddux (31) talk with starting pitcher Nick Martinez (22) in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

“The Rangers hold the second worst ERA in baseball this year with a 4.83.”

We all know that the Rangers rank dead last in wins this year, tied only with the Colorado Rockies. Wins, however, can be subjective due to lack of offensive production. Although the Texas offense hasn’t been as exciting as everybody anticipated, it isn’t completely at fault for this dreadful season.

The Rangers hold the second worst ERA in baseball this year with a 4.83. Yes, much of this is probably due to the fact that the Ranger’s starting rotation is missing Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Martin Perez. Due to this, the Rangers were forced to call up Nick Martinez to be apart of the starting rotation, even though he had previously never even pitched in a AAA game. It also probably doesn’t help that bullpen pitchers like Alexi Ogando, Robbie Ross Jr., Neftali Feliz, and Tanner Scheppers have all been hurt and struggling to find their way back to the Major League.

“Yes, the Rangers own the worst ERA in the American League while also leading the American League in shutouts with 15.

The Rangers also hold the least amount of quality starts in the entire league with 41. That’s seven quality starts behind the next worse (Colorado Rockies), who seem to be at the bottom of every team pitching category.

The Paradox? The Rangers are in second place in the entire league in shutouts. Wait! What?? Yes, the Rangers own the worst ERA in the American League while also leading the American League in shutouts with 15. So when Texas takes the bump, we see very, very good things, or we see very, very bad things. There’s really no in-between and it just so happens that we see more bad things than good.

The good news: next season, when Texas has a healthy rotation and a complete lineup, the offense will be better, and the pitching should be tighter. I would expect the team BAA and ERA to go down, while I expect the amount of quality starts, saves, and wins to go up.