This Rangers trend highlights a team far too reliant on Jacob deGrom bailing them out

There is a concerning trend lately for the underperforming Texas Rangers. It involves their top-of-the-rotation ace, Jacob deGrom, and how he is being relied on way too much to end losing streaks, particularly in four of his last five starts.

Make no mistake, one of the tasks that earns you the label "ace' is showing the ability to consistently put an end to losing streaks. However, it is not something that should be required almost every time you take the mound.

Jacob deGrom has ended losing streaks for the Rangers in four of his last five starts

Dating back to June 7, Jacob deGrom has won his last 4 of his last 5 starts to boost his record from 5-2 to an eye-popping 9-2. The only game he didn't get a W, he pitched six innings, giving up just 2 runs in a no-decision.

In four of his last five wins, however, deGrom has ended Ranger losing streaks. Respectively, the big right-hander has stopped losing streaks of 4, 3, 2, and 2 games.

This trends reflects two very distinct Rangers patterns over the last two months

Yes, the Rangers pay deGrom an enormous amount of money to be the guy who goes out there, and you can pencil in a win, or at the very least an excellent chance to win. But you hate to put your stud in that position every time he takes the mound.

Thankfully for Ranger fans, deGrom has been up to the task every time, but it can begin to weigh on a pitcher to be relied upon to reset the winning tone in the clubhouse after losing multiple games in a row. His consistant dominance has the club still chasing a wild card spot.

Secondly, it reveals what has been evident over the last several times through the rotation; the bottom of the starting staff has not been as dependable as they were to start the year.

Some of that has to do with the absence of Nathan Eovaldi and now Tyler Mahle, but both Jack Leiter and Patrick Corbin have not been as sharp as of late. Kumar Rocker has been better recently, and looks like a very promising prospect, but as a whole, the bottom half of the rotation, combined with the spotty hitting, has put an extra onus on deGrom to right the ship.