5 things we learned on this Texas Rangers road trip

A rookie made a splash, a pitcher that doesn't strike out many batters set a career high, and a closer that has not blown many saves did so and that was just the game on Sunday. The Texas Rangers had an eventful week in the Bay area that included series wins in Oakland and San Francisco. It was a good week that saw them leave Arlington last Sunday with a 2.5 game lead and they come back home still with a 2.5 game lead over the Houston Astros. There was a lot that was learned about this team in these last six games that will help them going forward over these last 44 games.

J.P. Martinez is an impact player

Julio Pablo Martinez or J.P made his MLB debut on Friday night. He was called up to replace Travis Jankowski who was placed on paternity leave. He started all three games in San Francisco and he did look a little overmatched on Friday, but got more comfortable as the weekend went on. He got his first major league hit and RBI on Saturday and his first major-league extra-base hit on Sunday.

Martinez was one of the few players on Sunday who was actually able to hit Logan Webb's pitches in the air. He did ground out in his first at-bat. but then lined a single off the wall in right field. He then flew out in his third at-bat. He finished off Logan Webb with this double.

He was then able to turn that double into the game-tying run when he scored from second on an Ezequiel Duran infield single. He also nearly threw out a runner at home from left field on Saturday. He finished the series 4-11 with an RBI and a run scored.

The question is what becomes of Martinez once Jankowski comes back? The answer is he probably gets sent back down. The good news is that he is now on the 40-man roster now and he can easily be brought back up in September or be placed on a potential postseason roster. I could see him having an impact in October with his baserunning ability, his defense, and his ability to drive the ball. If he does get sent down on Monday, it does not mean this will be the last we see of Martinez this season.

Next: The return of a winning formula for the Texas Rangers