The difference between a slow start and a full-blown crisis is always subtle. For the Texas Rangers, that line is starting to look more like a billboard.
After the Rangers dropped a 3-2 walk-off loss to the Giants on Saturday, even Bruce Bochy had enough. The veteran manager, who got a standing ovation during Brandon Crawford’s retirement ceremony, half-joked to reporters, “Hey, maybe we could skip the offensive questions.” Not exactly a comforting sign for a club that still carries big expectations.
The problems are stacking up faster than they can swing their way out of. As Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News points out, the Rangers aren’t getting on base nearly enough, posting the second-lowest walk rate in the majors, ahead of only the Angels. This is a team designed to slug, not grind out long at-bats — and when the home runs aren’t flying, everything starts to look bleak.
Texas Offense by the Numbers
The numbers don’t lie. Entering Sunday, the Rangers rank 20th in MLB in batting average (.234), tied for 16th in home runs (37), and 19th in runs scored (164). That’s not what anyone expected from a lineup loaded with power threats — and fans on social media are noticing.
Saturday’s loss was a perfect microcosm. They faced Robbie Ray, who came into the game leading MLB in walks (18 in 24 innings). The Rangers walked once against him — and let him cruise through a season-high seven innings. League-wide, starters average just under 5 1/3 innings per start. Against Texas? They’re averaging more than 5 2/3.
“There are some small trends pointing forward for some guys like Jake [Burger] and Joc [Pederson],” Rangers offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker told Grant. And he didn’t sugarcoat it: “It’s below the standard we want in terms of being consistent.”
Adding insult to injury, the Rangers finally manufactured some offense — and still couldn’t close. Jake Burger drove in both runs with sacrifice flies, a feat no Ranger had pulled off in four years. They even executed a sac bunt, something they rarely attempt. Yet when it mattered most in the ninth, the wheels fell off: a popped-up bunt by Kyle Higashioka, strikeouts from Josh Smith and pinch-hitter Joc Pederson, and a soft liner from the Giants to end it.
Bochy, asked again about the bigger picture, kept it blunt: “You’ve also got to be careful chasing certain peripherals and process numbers, when really the main thing is scoring runs.”
Right now, that “main thing” is becoming a major problem. The Rangers’ expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of 2024 ranks 21st. Their actual wOBA? Even worse, sitting at 25th.
At some point, it stops being a slow start and starts being who you are. Texas is running out of time to decide which it will be.
Rangers’ Bruce Bochy Bluntly Addresses the Elephant in the Room