Texas Rangers: Nathaniel Lowe’s 5-hit game a highlight of the season

Season highlights are hard to come by for the 2021 Texas Rangers. But even the worst teams are due for a mulligan every once in a while.

It’s milestones like Nathaniel Lowe‘s five-hit game vs. the Cleveland soon-to-be Guardians at Progressive Field Tuesday night in a 7-3 Rangers win that make the big league season worth keeping tabs on, at least a little bit.

It was the first five-hit game of the first baseman’s career, and part of a recent hot streak on the Texas Rangers’ current road trip, which began in Boston over the weekend. Over his last seven games, Lowe is hitting .321 and .316 over his last 15 games.

And no five-hit performance goes without a cowboy hat celebration, of course!

Nathaniel Lowe recorded first career five-hit game and the Texas Rangers’ first since 2018

Lowe’s five-hitter Tuesday night in Cleveland is also the Texas Rangers’ first since Rougned Odor back in 2018 against the Houston Astros. He fell just a triple shy of the cycle in the effort.

More from Nolan Writin'

• Framework for a potential Max Fried trade to the Texas Rangers
• Early 2023 MLB mock draft has Texas Rangers selecting an Ohtani-lite
• 3 Texas Rangers outfield trade targets not named Bryan Reynolds
• Did Jacob deGrom really mean what he said at his Texas Rangers press conference?
• Where do Texas Rangers prospects Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker stand after the DeGrom signing?

Still, five hits in a game is an impressive accomplishment and a great sign pointing towards a late-season resurgence for Lowe after a hot early season that stagnated during the middle portion of the campaign. That’ll happen over a 162-game season, though.

No pressure, Nathaniel, but you’re expected to be the long-term solution to a first base problem that hasn’t truly been solved since Mark Teixeira was traded. Fortunately, the 26-year-old seems to be up to that task thanks to finally getting regular playing time in Texas, something the Tampa Bay Rays couldn’t offer him.

We won’t come to expect five-hit games nightly, but we’ll take them whenever they come.

Especially during a season starved for big league highlights.