The Texas Rangers have experienced high peaks and low valleys this season

The pandemic may have kept us from riding physical roller coasters at an amusement park, but the Texas Rangers have been giving their fans a roller coaster ride of a season from home so far in 2021 (or at the ballpark).

Regardless of where you’re taking in Rangers game action, it’s become evident that dramatic peaks and valleys have defined this team’s young season.

Of course, this is the case with most sports franchises over the duration of a season, but considering where this franchise was not too long ago, the bright spots have been very encouraging, while the low points have been, well, low.

Texas’ sub .500 record doesn’t capture the intricate details that have more or less comprised the storylines that we’ve seen unfold to date. Let’s recap some of those.

Texas Rangers’ peak: Offense comes blistering out of the gate

Remember that insane Opening Day contest in Kansas City where both teams combined for 24 runs? Though Kyle Gibson pitched awfully that day, the lineup showed a well-roundedness and potency that we hadn’t seen from it in quite some time.

For the most part, this offense has been pretty scrappy since that outburst, seeing production from nearly every hitter from one through nine.

Though they’re not winning games consistently, it’s easy to identify an ascending group of hitters that should only get better with experience.

Texas Rangers Valley: Joe Musgrove no-hits the Texas Rangers

There wouldn’t be high points without low points.

From a baseball standpoint, it doesn’t get much lower for your team than being on the wrong side of history, which the Texas Rangers were against Joe Musgrove and the San Diego Padres on April 9, 2021 in Arlington.

All of that burgeoning early season hope that the Rangers had provided seemingly went down the drain after that game, as San Diego would go onto sweep that series at Globe Life Field, a sign that Texas has a ways to go in the course of its rebuild.

Texas Rangers Peak: Kyle Gibson has become an ace, Dane Dunning is a stud

Two high points in a row. We’re trying to be optimistic here!

The pitching admittedly hasn’t been ideal for the Texas Rangers in 2021, and that’s to be expected from a rebuilding squad.

That said, the performances the team has received on the mound from righties Kyle Gibson and Dane Dunning have been very impressive to this point.

First Gibson, who has emerged as the unlikely ace after struggling mightily in his first season as a Ranger with a 5.35 ERA in 12 starts.

Since his Opening Day debacle in Kansas City, “Gibby” has become the one pitcher in the rotation who can really be trusted.

He had 135.00 ERA after getting bombed by the Royals on Opening Day. Now, he sports a cool 2.32 ERA on the season and gives Texas length and quality every fifth day, as an ace should. It’s been nothing short of a remarkable in-season turnaround for Gibson.

As for Dane Dunning, he’s been exactly as advertised, if not better, since being acquired by the Rangers in the Lance Lynn deal with the White Sox. He’s flashed his potential to be a stalwart in this rotation going forward and a real future asset for this team.

Texas Rangers Valley: No-hit by Corey Kluber

If you thought one no-hitter was bad, how about two?

And if that’s not bad enough, what if that no-hitter was thrown by a pitcher who used to be a Ranger but only wound up tossing one inning in that uniform?

That would be Corey Kluber’s nine-inning masterpiece against the Rangers in his Globe Life Field return with the New York Yankees.

It doesn’t get much more insulting than that.

The Rangers have joined the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners as the three baseball clubs to be no-hit twice by opponents this season, not a group you want to be a part of.

Such is the case when you’re rebuilding, though.

There’s a lot that I left out, and much more still yet to come, but that’s the point of this piece: to illustrate just how much has already happened for a team that wasn’t supposed to be all that exciting entering the 2021 season.