3 good things about the Texas Rangers so far in the ALDS, 2 we wish weren't true

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The Texas Rangers have claimed a 2-0 lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS. After eliminating the Tampa Bay Rays in two games, the Rangers again went into enemy territory and picked up two more wins. The first game was a one-run victory by a score of 3 to 2. The second one was a walk and slugfest that ended with the Rangers out in front 11 to 8.

In this exercise, we are going to take a look at three good things we have learned about the Rangers thus far in the ALDS, along with two that we wish weren't true. So, let's first dive into the favorable issues, before getting into a couple of negatives that have raised their ugly heads.

Texas Rangers Josh Jung and Evan Carter are ready for the big stage

Rookies generally don't have great postseasons in their first shot at October baseball. That is not so for a trio of Rangers rookies, Josh Jung, Evan Carter, and Cody Bradford.

Josh Jung was on track to contend for the AL Rookie of the Year award this season before a broken thumb dashed those ideas. When he came off the IL and pushed himself back into the lineup, he struggled at the plate. That is not the case so far in this ALDS. In the first two games, he is hitting .375/.444/.875, has scored three runs, driven in one, has a double, and a home run that happened to be the game-winner in Game 1. Jung has also made some outstanding defensive plays at the hot corner, thus further proving that the bright lights don't bother him.

After an ALWC that saw Evan Carter grab the attention of baseball fans worldwide, how would the 21-year-old handle the mounting pressure? Like a grizzled veteran. His numbers in the first two ALDS games are slightly off his previous two playoff performances, but they are still outstanding. In nine plate appearances he is slashing .333/.556/.500, has scored one run, drove in one, has a double, and has walked three times. And he has done all of this after being moved from the nine hole to the fifth spot in the batting order. The kid is made for big moments.

Bradford was not on the active roster in the ALWC but found himself in the middle of the fight Sunday afternoon in Baltimore. When the Rangers jumped out to a big lead--and with Jordan Montgomery struggling--it was apparent that someone was going to need to eat some innings. Manager Bruce Bochy called on the rookie lefty, and he came in and didn't disappoint. Bradford went 3 2/3 innings pitched, limited the Orioles to three hits, zero runs, struck out four, and got credited with the win.

Next: Two more positives from the first two ALDS games

Playoff Corey Seager is even better than the regular season version

Corey Seager is one of the best players in baseball. Even with two stints on the IL with injuries this season, he put up numbers that, minus Shohei Ohtani, would have probably garnered him the AL MVP award. And as good as he was in the regular season, Seager has seemed to step his game up to yet another level. This tracks, as he was not only a World Series champion in 2020, but won the MVP award in both the ALCS and World Series that year.

After leading the team with his bat in the Tampa Bay series, he has been leading the team with his eyes in the ALDS. In 11 plate appearances, Seager has seven walks, and five of those came in game two alone giving him a robust .727 on-base percentage. Instead of expanding his zone, Seager stays true to his approach and crushes balls that would be strikes and spits on those that aren't. He is the Rangers' best hitter, and he is showing why this postseason.

Andrew Heaney and Dane Dunning combo gives Texas Rangers another ace

The Rangers have had their share of injuries to their starting rotation this season. With Max Scherzer and Jon Gray both currently out with injuries, Texas was forced to go a different route for Game 1 of the ALDS. Many figured that it would be Dunning who would get the start (me included), but it would instead be Heaney to begin the game.

Dunning would come in to relieve Heaney after 3 2/3 innings pitched and then go two innings himself. Each pitcher allowed one run, and Dunning was credited with the victory. They went toe to toe with Baltimore's ace, Kyle Bradish, and won. The Heaney - Dunning combo, is a perfect example of the sum is greater than the parts. Together they make a formidable duo and could easily switch roles from starter to reliever, all while maintaining their usefulness as a pair.

Next: Shaky bullpen

Texas Rangers bullpen is still shaky

Notice that I didn't say that the bullpen is terrible, or awful, or anything like that. The word that I used is shaky, and that describes their outings in the first two games of the ALDS perfectly. In Game 1, they surrendered no runs, even though technically Dunning was a reliever and did give up one run. The reality is Dunning was a second starter on the day, and the real bullpen efforts didn't start until Will Smith came in with two outs in the sixth.

The pen was able to keep the Orioles from scoring in the seventh, eighth, and ninth, although it didn't always look like that was going to be the case. There were multiple times when it appeared that the game was about to unravel, but somehow, they would regain their composure and get out of a jam.

Game two was not much different, but the huge lead that the offense gave the bullpen proved to be enough. As referenced earlier, Bradford was excellent in his appearance. Additionally, Josh Sborz only required one pitch to get out of a jam, but after he had thrown seven straight balls to start his outing the day before, it was a little nerve-racking until the out was recorded.

Brock Burke was, well... Brock Burke. His stuff can be very good, but if he is off, he needs to be removed quickly. That is what Bochy did, and he wasn't messing around, even though the Rangers led by six runs. Unfortunately, that six-run lead was turned into a three-run lead with the swing of Aaron Hicks bat that connected to a Jose Leclerc offering. Leclerc settled in and finished recording the last two outs and got the Rangers to the finish line of Game 2.

Overall the bullpen was successful because the Rangers picked up two wins in Baltimore. There is little surprise that there were some bumps in the road and several uneasy feelings as well. The Rangers bullpen is who they are, and we will hope that they can manage to continue to get by as this playoff run continues. It is seldom pretty, but they can sometimes be effective.

Next: A key bat still not producing

Nathaniel Lowe's struggles continue

Nathaniel Lowe is still in a slump. This isn't something that just started in the ALDS, or even within the last week or two. Lowe has been struggling at the plate since the beginning of September. Over the last month of the season, he had 126 plate appearances, slashed .160/.294/.245, hit two home runs, and struck out 34 times.

Lowe has carried his slump over into the postseason, and most recently in the first two games of the ALDS. After hitting third in the order for most of the season, Bochy has recently moved the left-handed hitting first baseman to seventh in the lineup in hopes of getting him going. It has helped Lowe get some really good pitches to hit, the problem has been that he has not been hitting them.

He had just one hit in Baltimore and hasn't looked good with the bat. It should be mentioned that Lowe's mother has brain cancer and is undergoing treatment. Not that he would use that as an excuse for not hitting, but perhaps with the weight of his mother's health on his mind, he hasn't been him self lately. Prayers for Nathaniel's mother, Wendy. Perhaps Rangers GM Chris Young sums it up best in the quote below from Adam Berry's MLB.com piece.

I lost my dad around this time here eight years ago, and I know how hard it is to play a game and constantly be thinking about a sick family member. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lowe family. For Josh and Nate, all I can say is that I sympathize and empathize with how hard this is for them. It's really hard. These are human beings, and to compartmentalize and go out and play a game -- we've worked your whole life to be on this stage, and meanwhile, you're suffering at home. It's really, really challenging, and so we’re completely empathetic to them. We’re offering all of our support to Nate and giving his family our best wishes.
Chris Young - Rangers GM

Obviously, we want Nathaniel to start hitting, but more importantly, we pray that his mother Wendy has a full and speedy recovery.

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