Texas Rangers: 3 Things To Know Before The Series Against The Angels

This is the Rangers last chance to gain some momentum before the All-Star Break. They head into a three game series against the Los Angeles Angels. It’s obviously a must win series for the Rangers, but what else should you know?

Right now the Texas Rangers sit at 41-44 and 16.5 games back the first place Houston Astros. The American League West is basically over, but the Rangers are only 3.5 games out of the American League Wildcard.

Last series was unsuccessful as the Rangers dropped two of three to the Boston Red Sox. They had a comeback in the ninth, but were unable to grab the win. It was a frustrating series, and shows that Texas has more room for improvement.

Luckily the Rangers were able to grab the finale of the series against Boston. They slapped around Doug Fister and won the game 8-2. They snapped the Red Sox six-game winning streak and finished the Boston series on a positive note.

Texas now heads into a series that is just as important against a division rival ahead of them in the standings. The Rangers have both Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish pitching in this series. A must win series for Texas, but what else is there to know?

The Rangers have decided to go bullpen go committee rather than name one player for the role. Reliever Matt Bush was stripped of the closer role after going 10 of 15 in save opportunities. He will now move into a middle relief role, and let others get a shot at closing the door in the ninth.

Bad news for the Rangers is that relief pitcher Keone Kela will miss this series against the Angels. Kela is currently dealing with soreness in his right shoulder and the team is not sure how much time he is miss.

This season Kela is 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA in 30 games with one save. He was trusted as a late inning reliever, and was likely one of the main candidates for closer. The good news is that the Rangers have Jason Grilli.

The 40-year-old veteran recently joined the Rangers organization and will now likely be put in a high leverage situation. Most likely Grilli will be tasked in save situations as he has much more experience than most of the Rangers relievers.

This will likely be a close and low scoring series and the first test for the Rangers “bullpen by committee”. Normally going by committee fails quickly, but Texas is going to give it a shot until something changes.

Pay close attention to the Rangers bullpen in this series because it’s going to be a major factor. It’s time for the relievers to gain some confidence and help out the starting pitching.

Both Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels will get a chance to pitch in this series. The Rangers have the Angels outmatched as far as starting pitching, but will that be enough? Can Darvish and Hamels pitch like aces and carry Texas to victory?

Both pitchers are likely trade candidates at the deadline if Texas falls out of the race. These are must win games for Texas, but also an opportunity for Hamels to gain some confidence. The Angels offense is hurt without Mike Trout, and Hamels needs to capitalize on that.

This season Hamels is 3-0 with a 4.12 ERA in seven starts. He’s seen plenty of time on the disabled list. It’s time for him to bounce back and help Texas get back into the playoff race.

If everything goes according to plan the Rangers should sweep the Angels and be in second place by the All-Star Break. The Rangers must win two of three with both Hamels and Darvish on the mound.

If Texas continues to drop games with their aces on the mound it could be time to throw in the towel. This is a huge series not just for the Rangers, but for both Darvish and Hamels to gain some much-needed momentum.