Texas Rangers Pre/Post Game Host Jared Sandler from 105.3 The Fan KRLD-FM joins us to preview the upcoming four game tilt from Globe Life Field.
Q: How big is this 4-game series for each club?
A: I’m just not a big believer that this time of year truly shapes or defines the rest of the season. I think divisional rivalries are fun and that fans feel that with in-state bragging rights, but we don’t need to be prisoners of the moment. Neither team has achieved what they were hoping to so far, but they’re both looking to turn the arrow into a positive direction.
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Q: Last time we saw the Rangers, they were putting up 8 runs on the Astros, some of that damage coming from Kyle Higashioka. What is the current state of the lineup, as it seems some guys are finding their stride and others (Evan Carter) are still grinding through some struggles?
A: The lineup has been interesting. They’ve largely done whatever positive stuff without Corey Seager and (Wyatt) Langford, partly because of injury but also when playing, both of those guys haven’t produced at a level that is expected of them because of the high standard they set.
When Corey is in the lineup and going right, he’s one of the best hitters in the world, so getting him back will be huge.
Wyatt Langford was a 20-20 guy and there’s other guys like Brandon Nimmo.
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Josh Jung has also been really impressive, his willingness to go the other way and his plate discipline with two strikes, he’s the best two strike hitter in major league baseball from a batting average standpoint.
The thing that’s most vital for the Rangers going forward is the ability to start slugging some home runs, which they’ve been lagging in.
Q: There are moments where Jaco deGrom appears to have turned back time and then moments where he’s less than stellar. What have you seen from deGrom this season?
A: Jacob deGrom has struggled recently, but he’s still Jacob deGrom. I think one of the most impressive things about him is the intellectual and academic approach he takes to pitching.
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When he struggles, you don’t really lose confidence in him because he’s going to figure it out. He’s still throwing in the high 90’s with a lower 90’s slider. He has a really good change-up and curveball as well that people don’t talk about a ton.
The other thing is his leadership. He’s been awesome and I don’t think that picture was fully painted in New York, but that’s been the case here.
Q: Finally, when do you anticipate someone in this division breaking out on a significant winning streak, thus creating some separation from the pack?
A: I don’t know when someone is going to make a huge push for this division, all of the teams are flawed.
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The Angels aren’t even a consideration, having the worst record in baseball.
It might be that no one wins 90 games, and with that, it’s going to be a tight race.
The one team that I do think that has the upside to make a huge push in the immediate future would be the Mariners, just because the Rangers and Astros are super beat up. The A’s rarely have the starting pitching advantage, so they have to do it with their lineup, which is for real but it might not be possible to rattle off a ton of consecutive wins.
Seattle is still the team on paper, and there’s a reason why a lot of people picked them at the beginning of the year.
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