Rangers 8, Cardinals 1
Rangers 8, Cardinals 1
- That’s more like it.
- Six innings of one run ball from Jacob deGrom, who didn’t seem to quite be in sync necessarily— Bruce Bochy and the trainer went out to check on him one batter into the game, and he walked an uncharacteristic three batters while striking out just four and missing ten bats — but we are reminded that a not quite in sync Jacob deGrom is still really damn good.
- deGrom has a 1.82 ERA in his last 9 starts, and has allowed two or fewer runs in each of them.
- There was some nerve-wrackingness after that for a bit, as Shawn Armstrong and Hoby Milner were asked to protect a one, and then a two, run lead, before a late offensive outburst meant Luke Jackson could go out in the ninth and finish things off with a big ol’ lead to work with.
- But the offense.
- But, but, but…
- But the offense.
- This time we mean but the offense in a good way. Not in the bad way we have usually meant it.
- I mean, the two run double by Josh Smith in the second — the double that gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead — it would have, in and of itself, been enough for the Rangers. And honestly, I kind of expected at the time that those two runs would have to hold up.
- Thats been the way it has been for the 2025 Texas Rangers.
- Josh Smith did some banging, with a couple of doubles and a homer. But of particular significance was Marcus Semien going 2 for 2 with a double and a pair of walks.
- Semien, as has been discussed at length, has been awful this year, one of the big reasons why the Rangers bats have disappointed at such a high level. That double today? Thats his second double on the season. It’s June 1. It seems near impossible for someone to start virtually every game and have just one double.
- In this series against St. Louis, Semien went 7 of 8 with three walks. He raised his OPS 76 points in those three games.
- Marcus Semien being not terrible going forward would be a very good thing.
- Jacob deGrom’s fastball maxed out at 98.4 mph, averaging 96.4 mph. Shawn Armstrong’s fastball topped out at 94.0 mph. Hoby Milner’s fastball reached 87.5 mph. Luke Jackson’s fastball maxed out at 95.5 mph.
- Corey Seager had a 106.5 mph ground out. Josh Smith had a 106.3 mph home run and a 104.4 mph double. Jake Burger had a 106.2 mph double and a 105.6 mph line out. Wyatt Langford had a 105.6 mph sacrifice fly. Josh Jung had a 102.5 mph line out. Marcus Semien had a 100.3 mph double.
- A win followed by an off day is always fun.