The Texas Rangers have started the postseason 7-0 for the first time in franchise history. Some highlights have included outscoring the Tampa Bay Rays 11-1 in the wild-card round and sweeping the high-scoring Baltimore Orioles.
Now, Texas is 2-0 against the reigning champion Houston Astros. A big part of the team's success in this series is starting pitching. In game 1, Jordan Montgomery went six innings, throwing six strikeouts and allowing five hits. He has posted a 2.08 ERA in three postseason starts.
The team had another similar performance in game 2. Nathan Eovaldi allowed five hits in six innings. The Rangers' ace also had nine strikeouts. He helped the team escape a bases-loaded situation in the fifth inning. Eovaldi struck out Yainer Diaz and Jose Altuve while forcing Alex Bregman to ground out.
Texas' starting pitching has been the X-factor this postseason. The pitching staff as a whole has one playoff game where they allowed five runs or more.
Another factor has been rookie Evan Carter. He has a .350 batting average this postseason. In 20 at-bat attempts, he has recorded seven hits, four runs, four doubles, and three RBIs. His double in game 1 helped the team take an early lead.
His defense was also a factor, as Carter caught a stellar off-the-wall ball that robbed Bregman from scoring for Houston.
If Texas hopes to close out the series, they are going to need help from other players on the team. Possibly some experience veterans.
Here are three Texas Rangers' player that to step up these couple of games.
Player 3: Corey Seager
The Texas Rangers' all-star has had a great season this year. He posted the second best American League batting average at .327. Corey Seager also finished the year with 33 home runs and 96 RBIs.
He posted four runs and one homer and recorded nine walks against Baltimore in the division series. His five walks in game 2 was a playoff record for a single game.
Seager's offense also played a pivotal role against the Tampa Bay Rays. He recorded five hits, three doubles, and two RBIs in two games. The Rangers' shortstop has been one of the most reliable players.
However, the four-time all-star has yet to showcase the same numbers in the Astros series.
In game 1, he recorded one hit in four bat attempts. Seager also struck out twice. His numbers improved in game 2. However, his play has yet to match past postseason performances. On Monday night, Seager struck out twice again and recorded one run.
The problem is that he can be inconsistent at times. In Baltimore, he got on base most of the time because of the amount of walks he got.
Yet, in the Astros' series he is making less contact and swinging and missing when he does try to get a hit. If Seager can produce more hits and get runs late in games, it will improve Texas' offense.