The Rangers won their first championship in 2023, in part by spending a lot on free agents. But they had to pay the piper, and since then they have been a middling team around .500, missing the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
Kansas City Royals (22-34) vs. Texas Rangers (25-31) at Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
Royals: 3.77 runs scored/game (29th in MLB), 4.61 runs allowed/game (21st)
Rangers: 3.84 runs scored/game (25th), 3.93 runs allowed/game (8th)
The Rangers are hitting .230 as a team,
tied for fifth-worst in baseball. Joc Pederson is hitting .314/.435/.627 with four home runs in his last 20 games. Pederson is hitting .300/.338/.600 in 14 games against the Royals, his best numbers against any team. He is just 2-for-19 (.105) in his career against Seth Lugo, but has homered twice in 29 plate appearances against Michael Wacha.
Josh Jung is hitting .377/.435/.597 at home. Catcher Danny Jansen is hitting .128/.255/.277 in 16 games in the month of May. Alejandro Osuna hits 50.8 percent of balls on the ground. The Rangers have made fewer outs on the bases than any team in baseball. Texas is without starters Wyatt Langford, Josh Smith, and Corey Seager, who are all on the Injured List.
The Rangers acquired MacKenzie Gore in a big trade with the Nationals after he put up a 3.1 rWAR season last year. He exited his May 18 start after one inning with lat nightness, but returned earlier last weekend to give up just one hit in six innings against the Angels. Gore has a reverse split this year and in his career, with lefties hitting him better than righties.
Kumar Rocker was a highly touted pitcher at Vanderbilt that the Mets famously did not sign after drafting him and viewing his medicals. He had Tommy John surgery, and struggled in 14 starts last year, but may be turning a corner this year. He tossed back-to-back scoreless starts before giving up four runs in five innings in his last start against the Astros. He relies heavily on a sinker/slider combo that nets a 53 percent groundball rate.
Jack Leiter was Rocker’s teammate at Vanderbilt and was the #2 overall selection in the 2021 draft. He earned Rookie of the Year votes after posting a 3.86 ERA in 29 starts last year. He throws some heat with a 96.7 mph fastball that opponents are hitting just .205 against.
The Rangers’ bullpen has a 3.10 ERA, fourth-lowest in baseball, despite the third-lowest strikeout rate. Lefty Jacob Latz has been the primary closer, converting six of eight opportunities, while former Royals pitcher Jakob Junis had three saves in April. Lefty Tyler Alexander has a 51.4 percent groundball rate. Lefties are hitting .257/.333/.543 against lefty reliever Jalen Beeks.
This weekend will be a homecoming for Royals star Bobby Witt Jr., who grew up in the Dallas area, the son of a former Rangers pitcher. The Royals have lost 10 of 15 games at Globe Life Park since it opened in 2020. They took six of seven from the Rangers last year, and will need that kind of performance this weekend to turn their season around.
