Rangers find rhythm in divisional sweep before matchup with reigning world champions

In their second series at home, the Texas Rangers have finally gotten both sides of their brain to communicate with one another as the hitting and pitching came together for a vital sweep of a divisional foe.

After being on the losing end of a three-game sweep to the Reds, the Rangers welcomed Seattle to Globe Life Field for the back half of the first home stand of the season. The pitching continued its pace, now with the fifth best ERA in MLB while the hitting finally seems to have come out of hibernation, getting the job done against the Mariners tough pitching.

Despite the success against the Mariners, the Rangers don't really have time to celebrate

The Rangers now lead AL West but they can't sit back and relax, as they head to Southern California for three games against the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Just half a game ahead of the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels the Rangers' offense needs to at least keep up their current pace if they are looking to expand that divisional lead.

Currently the favorites to win their third straight, the Dodgers are the best offense in baseball, having already produced 21 home runs and 79 runs. They currently hold a MLB best 9-3 record and are fresh off back-to-back series sweeps on the road.

To face the best hitting team in baseball, Rangers' pitchers will have to use their best stuff. Texas will send Kumar Rocker, Jack Leiter and Jacob deGrom to the Dodger Stadium mound in hopes to keep them at bay. Fans will also have to hope that the Rangers offense against the Mariners wasn't a fluke, because their pitching is also one of the best in the league.

With that battle just over the horizon, the Rangers can't risk missing a step. They'll need to use the Thursday off day to recharge and get ready because they have a big storm coming.