Fear not! The Rangers Roundup has returned after a week-long absence. Buckle up, everybody — we’ve got a week’s worth of Texas Rangers baseball to catch up on.
Texas has played six games since the last edition of the Roundup — three in Seattle against the Mariners, followed by three back home in Arlington against the Los Angeles Angels. A lot went down across those contests, and in many ways, these six games encapsulated the full 2025 Rangers experience.
Before we dive in, here’s a refresher for those unfamiliar with the Rangers Roundup:
The Rangers Roundup will be your one-stop shop for all things Texas Rangers. After every series — usually on Monday and Thursday mornings — the Roundup will land in your inbox and give you everything you need to know about what’s happening in Arlington. I’m excited to start this up, and I’m even more excited to share it with all of you.
How this all works will be flexible. I’m giving myself the freedom to switch up the format if need be, so if you have any feedback, feel free to send it my way. For now, I’m modeling it somewhat after what the great Jamey Newberg does in his game recaps, which are done in a “Three Up, Three Down” format. The Rangers Roundup is not a copy, but it is certainly inspired. After each series, I’ll give you a number of things I’m pleased with, alongside some aspects that might not be as great. The number of those items is subject to change depending on the circumstances. There will also be some other nuggets thrown into the newsletter as well. Again, all of this is flexible. I’ve been known to change my mind on a whim before.
Let’s round up the week that was for the Texas Rangers!
Spanked in Seattle
The Rangers hate Seattle. By the time Sunday’s game wrapped up, the team probably sprinted to the airport to get out of that dreaded city as fast as possible. And no, it’s not because Bruce Bochy and the staff have some vendetta against the Space Needle or Puget Sound. It’s because they play terribly there.
Heading into the series, Texas was a woeful 8–32 in its last 40 games in Seattle. That ugly number only got worse, as the Rangers dropped all three games — despite two of the games being decided by just two runs, none of them felt especially close.
The theme of the series? Missed opportunities. The Rangers loaded the bases in the first inning on both Friday and Saturday, yet only scratched across a single run between the two chances. To be fair, that’s progress in a weird way. Previously, the offense wasn’t getting on base at all. Now they’re getting traffic, but still can’t come through with the big hit. (Is that actual improvement, or just me coping?)
Pitching had been the team’s safety net, but not in Seattle. Jacob deGrom started the opener on Friday and simply wasn’t sharp. While he limited the damage — allowing three runs on three hits — he lacked command, walking four and giving up two home runs. It marked the first time since April 14, 2019, that deGrom had surrendered multiple homers and multiple walks in a single start.
On Saturday, Kumar Rocker got rocked. It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the rookie out of Vanderbilt, and this was clearly one of the low points. He went just 3 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Combine that with an offense that only managed two runs, and you’ve got a resounding 9–2 defeat.
Sunday brought the series finale and Nathan Eovaldi’s best effort of the weekend from a Rangers starter. He pitched five innings, allowing three runs on five hits. Since his complete-game shutout against the Reds, Eovaldi hasn’t quite had the same dominance, but he’s still been solid. Unfortunately, the offense was once again ineffective, and Texas dropped the game 3–1.
Thankfully, the Rangers don’t have to return to Seattle until August. Hopefully, they can stockpile wins between now and then to offset the inevitable Pacific Northwest curse.
Bouncing Back at Home
When I’m under the weather, there’s nothing better than getting back home. The same seemed true for the Rangers, who looked like a completely different team the moment they returned to Arlington.
Texas swept the Los Angeles Angels over the past three days and has now won nine consecutive games at home, with the only Globe Life Field loss this season coming on Opening Day.
Everything clicked in the Angels series. The offense found a spark, the pitching was excellent, and the Angels — well, looked like the Angels.
Here’s a quick recap of the scores for those who missed it:
Tuesday: Texas 4, Los Angeles (AL) 0
Wednesday: Texas 3, Los Angeles (AL) 1
Thursday: Texas 5, Los Angeles (AL) 3
Rather than a full breakdown, here are some quick bullet points of what stood out:
Corey Seager is back. The star shortstop, after a sluggish start, is now slashing .306/.368/.516 (.884 OPS). He had three hits and two RBIs on Wednesday, then blasted a solo shot to center last night to give Texas a crucial insurance run. Ever since widening his stance in Chicago, he’s been raking.
Jake Burger’s bat is heating up. He had three hits on Wednesday and looked confident at the plate again on Thursday. That’s a big development, given he was brought in to provide much-needed pop to a lineup that lacked it last year.
Joc Pederson’s slump continues. He went hitless again and is now 0 for his last 34. Bochy hit him third behind Seager in both of his starts this series, and that likely needs to change. I still believe in Pederson — he’s a seasoned veteran who knows how to adjust — but the three-hole isn’t the right spot for him right now.
The bullpen was lights out. Not a single run allowed across the series. Chris Martin and Luke Jackson have turned into a legitimate late-inning duo, and the supporting cast — Robert Garcia, Jacob Webb, Hoby Milner, Shawn Armstrong — continues to deliver. It’s still early, but they’ve been exactly what this team has needed.
Dustin Harris looks like he belongs. Since being called up after Wyatt Langford landed on the IL, Harris has provided quality at-bats. He homered in his first start last Sunday and picked up three hits in the Angels series. Even when he doesn’t reach base, he’s making solid contact. I wasn’t sure if his tools would translate, but so far, he’s proving me wrong.
Starting Pitching Dominance
The Rangers’ trio of Tyler Mahle, Patrick Corbin, and Kumar Rocker delivered excellent starts against the Angels. Their final lines:
Mahle: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K
Corbin: 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Rocker: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 8 K
After Tuesday’s gem, Mahle now leads MLB with a 0.92 ERA. For a guy who didn’t even get out of the second inning in his season debut, that’s pretty astonishing. If he can sustain anything close to this, something special might be brewing.
Corbin almost didn’t pitch Wednesday. Kennedi Landry of MLB.com had the full rundown of the odd situation that nearly scratched him from the start — but he ended up delivering in a big way.
Bochy: “We weren’t even sure if he was going to pitch. He had a bite. He could hardly walk when he came into the clubhouse. Some kind of venom got in there. Not sure if it was a spider or what. He was 50/50 on whether he would make the start or not.”
Corbin: “Something bit me, but I still don’t know what. They were able to kind of work it out and just kind of maintain it throughout the day. But it’s pretty sore still. It’s just kind of something that’s really strange. I was just fortunate to get through yesterday, and I have some time to recover and be good to go.”
As for Rocker, his start on Thursday was a huge bounceback. It was easily the best outing of his young career, and ideally, something he can build on. With Jack Leiter close to returning, Rocker’s spot in the rotation may not be guaranteed. The Rangers might flirt with a six-man rotation temporarily, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Regardless, growth is growth, and Rocker showed plenty.
Injury Updates
Speaking of Leiter, the right-hander threw a simulated game yesterday at Globe Life Field, and the reports were positive. The next step likely involves a short rehab stint in Frisco or Round Rock, though nothing has been announced.
Meanwhile, Wyatt Langford played in a rehab game in Frisco last night and launched a homer. He’ll play once more tonight, but barring any setbacks, he looks ready to return. He’s eligible to come off the IL on Saturday, and all signs point to him rejoining the lineup against the Dodgers this weekend.
AL West Standings
It’s early, but it’s still fun to look at the standings and see the Rangers at the tippy top.
Texas Rangers (12-7)
Seattle Mariners (10-9)
Los Angeles Angeles (9-9)
Athletics (9-10)
Houston Astros (8-10)
Some would argue that it’s even more fun seeing the Astros at the bottom than it is the Rangers at the top. I completely disagree with that particular sentiment, but I do enjoy seeing Houston’s name in fifth place. Time will tell if they continue to languish down there.
Up Next
The defending World Series champs are coming to town. This upcoming three-game set against the Dodgers will be a huge early-season test for Texas — and one heck of an entertaining matchup.
Here are the projected starters:
Friday: (TEX) Jacob deGrom (0–0, 4.30 ERA) vs. (LAD) Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2–1, 1.23 ERA)
Saturday: (TEX) Nathan Eovaldi (1–2, 2.55 ERA) vs. (LAD) Roki Sasaki (0–1, 3.29 ERA)
Sunday: (TEX) Tyler Mahle (3–0, 0.92 ERA) vs. (LAD) Tyler Glasnow (1–0, 4.85 ERA)
Much like last weekend in Seattle, the pitching matchups are elite. Runs could be hard to come by — but maybe, just maybe, the Rangers’ offense is ready to rise to the occasion.
We’ll see soon enough.
Catch up on the Rangers Roundup!
Make sure to read some of the earlier editions of the Roundup to get caught up on everything that’s going on with the Rangers!
