Why the Texas Rangers can win the World Series

Sep 2, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Sam Dyson (right) and catcher Bobby Wilson (8) celebrate a 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Bullpen Coming to Form

The Rangers bullpen was an absolute headache earlier in the season. You had to hope for the Rangers starter to go deep into the game, or you knew it would get out of hand in a hurry. But Jon Daniels went out and made some sneaky good moves at the trade deadline, moves that are paying dividends in the playoff push.

We first start with Sam Dyson, who was acquired from the Miami Marlins on July 31^st. Dyson is a flamethrower out of the bullpen, a power arm that has the ability to get both lefties and righties out. He has become the setup man for Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson, and sports an impressive 1.66 ERA since coming over. He last gave up a run seven outings ago against the Toronto Blue Jays, and has only given up that one run in his past ten games.

Then we move to Jake Diekman, the forgotten man in the Cole Hamels trade. Diekman is a hard throwing LHP, something that the Rangers didn’t have before he came over. Diekman has an impressive 2.65 ERA since coming from Philadelphia, often overpowering hitters with his fastball. He’s only allowed two runs in his past ten outings (both runs came in a single outing vs. the Mariners) and he struck out the side two outings ago against the A’s.

But the biggest story of them all has to be Tolleson, a waiver claim a couple of years back. For any expert to say they saw this coming, they’d be a bold-faced liar. Tolleson has been the surprise of the year, as he has been sensational. Tolleson has converted 32/34 save opportunities, with his last blown save coming in late August against the Blue Jays. He has converted his last seven save opportunities, including two scoreless innings in the biggest series of the season against the Houston Astros.

This bullpen has finally come to form, and Banister has done a great job of managing them.

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