Key Rangers flaw is unraveling their playoff hopes in a way that we all saw coming

No matter what happens in today's matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Texas Rangers will lose their seventh-straight road series. The team is spiraling, and while the playoffs are still within reach, without a major change in fortunes occurring quickly, the postseason will slip out of its grasp. Again.

There's a lot going wrong with the team right now. If the opposition scores in the first inning and the Rangers do not, it's essentially game over. The offense has been slumbering as it lacks a true identity. It feels as if problems abound.

However, the weird first-inning bugaboo seems like an annoying quirk that the team just needs to get over. The lineup has the pieces to produce a decent offensive attack if Texas can get enough of its key hitters clicking at the same time. However, another issue remains, and there seems to be no easy solution. In fact, Chris Young missed the boat on his last shot at rectifying this roster deficiency.

We're talking about the bullpen, of course. At the trade deadline, this was a key need, and it's becoming clear that Chase Silseth and Adam Macko alone weren't enough to address the situation.

Of course, the Rangers have Jacob Latz, who has turned into a superstar closer this year, handling the ninth (and many times the eighth). Jakob Junis has been very good for most of the season as the setup man, as well. But these two can only be effective if they're handed the ball with a lead to protect, and that's where the problem lies.

Since the All-Star Break, Texas relievers have allowed the most runs in baseball in innings five through seven. That's exactly what happened against the Brewers on Saturday when a good start by Cal Quantrill was wasted by Peyton Gray allowing two runs (one earned) in the seventh, which proved to be the difference in the 5-3 defeat.

Chris Young didn't adequately address the bullpen at the trade deadline, and the Rangers are paying for it now

Part of the issue has been the fact that Junis missed a decent amount of time over this stretch, which clearly moved everyone up in the pecking order, but there's more to it than simply missing one of the few reliable arms the Rangers have for a time.

At points, there were a whopping five rookies in the bullpen, which is a recipe for disaster. While Young did add two arms in Silseth and Macko, Silseth ended up pitching the eighth a lot when Junis was on the shelf, offsetting the idea that he'd add additional depth.

Even with the unit at full strength, it's clear that more was needed. The club's plan was to piece things together through long-term injury returns, but as Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bradford returned, Nathan Eovaldi got hurt. Montgomery hasn't been very good with a 5.73 ERA pitching out of the pen, and Eovaldi's injury forced Quantrill back to the rotation. That last bit isn't the worst thing in the world given how well Quantrill has pitched as a starter, but it still leaves the bullpen short.

The plan may have been to unleash Jack Leiter out there when he returned from injury, but his latest setback may have foiled that idea. Robert Garcia is set to begin a rehab assignment, but by the time he returns, it might be too little, too late.

Young neglected to adequately address the bullpen over the offseason, and when he had a chance to right that wrong at the trade deadline, he once again failed to deliver. Silseth was a good addition, and we'll see what Macko can bring to the table, but the Rangers desperately needed another veteran reliever with high-leverage experience, and they whiffed. In fact, it seems like they didn't even try, and now they're paying the price for that sin.

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