Texas Rangers: 3 Things to Watch For Against the Red Sox

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CHICAGO, IL – JULY 01: (L-R) Elvis Andrus (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

The Rangers still aren’t out of the American League Wild Card race just yet. They desperately need a strong series to turn them around. Can the Rangers put it together and beat the Red Sox?

It’s not over just yet for the Texas Rangers, but things have to change in a hurry. This is an important series for Texas against the first place Boston Red Sox. A must-win series, so Texas can finally get some momentum on their side.

Currently the Rangers sit at 40-42 and two games out of the AL Wild Card. The AL West is pretty much over at this point, so let’s focus on the Wild Card. The Rangers roster is talented enough to easily make the playoffs, but they just can’t put it together.

The biggest issue has been the lack of consistency from the bullpen. No one seems to be able to hold the lead, and it continues to cost the Rangers games. They recently acquired veteran Jason Grilli to solidify the bullpen.

It’s clear the Rangers have the ability to be a playoff team, but can’t put it together. What do they need to do in order to fix this sinking ship?

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 09: Matt Bush (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

The Bullpen

The Rangers have now decided to go bullpen by committee. Reliever Matt Bush has been stripped of the closer role after going 10 of 15 in save opportunities this season. The team will go now by committee until someone steps up in the ninth inning role.

The bullpen has been hard to watch this season, but need to be watched closely now. This is an important part of the season that will either make the Rangers buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

Right now the Rangers need to prove this team is legitimate or else it could be time to rebuild in Arlington. The bullpen seems to be the weakest part of the organization, and that will be the deciding factor.

Often times bullpen by committee does not work, but this time could be different. The Rangers don’t have many relievers with late inning experience and giving one guy the job is pretty ridiculous. Hard to expect pitchers with little experience to be excellent immediately in a high pressure role.

Veteran Jason Grilli has joined the bullpen for this series, and he needs to be a leader. The Red Sox are a playoff type team that Texas would face in October. The Rangers need to play this series like their season depends on it because it very well could.

Yu Darvish

30-year-old ace pitcher Yu Darvish was just selected to his fourth All-Star Game of his career. He’s always exciting to watch on the mound, but especially during this series. Darvish will face off against Red Sox “ace” David Price in Game 2 of this series.

This season Darvish is 6-6 with a 3.11 ERA in 17 starts and 115 strikeouts. His opponent David Price is 3-2 with a 4.61 ERA in seven starts this season. This is a must-win game for the Rangers to prove they can beat the best.

Darvish is free agent eligible after this season and very well could be auditioning for his new team. The Red Sox are likely one of many teams interested in acquiring Darvish if he’s available later this month.

If the Rangers still believe they have a chance at the Wild Card then they will need Darvish to lead them. Veteran Cole Hamels continues to work his way back up the ladder, and has seen plenty of DL time this season.

The Rangers will likely call on Darvish to pitch if the team gets a Wild Card spot. Boston could potentially be their opponent in that series this October. Let’s see if Darvish has what it takes to beat the best in the game.

Rougned Odor

The bullpen has continued to let down the Rangers, but Rougned Odor is the second biggest disappointment this season. In 2016 Odor hit .271 setting career highs in home runs (33) and RBI (88) but has been horrible in ’17.

Heading into the Boston series Odor is hitting .213 with 14 home runs and 35 RBI and has a team leading 324 at-bats. He’s walked just 13 times with 79 strikeouts, and has been trending the wrong way most of the season.

The Rangers signed Odor to a six-year $49.5 million deal over the off-season. Odor has failed to show he’s even worth half of the money, and could be a potential candidate to be moved later this month.

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It’s unlikely the Rangers move Odor, but they should at least field offers for him. If this trend continues he could see time in Triple-A to get his swing back. This series is important for Odor to gain some confidence.

This series is a huge one for Texas and they desperately need Odor to step up and be a leader on offense. If he continues to struggle through this Boston series he could very well be in the minors before the week is over.

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