Well the Rangers ended the first half with a 52- 34 record, and prepare to start the second half tomorrow with a series against the last place Seattle Mariners. Derek Holland will get the second half started, which is good news considering he just returned to the active roster right before the All-Star Break. The keys to the second half are pretty obvious. The Rangers need to stay healthy, which they failed to do in the first half, continue to get good starts out of the starters, which didn't happen as frequently the last few weeks, and continue doing what they are doing on offense.
Health is the major concern for the Rangers in the second half. Three of the five starters in the opening day rotation, along with three key relievers saw time on the disabled list in the first half. With this many pitchers on the disabled list, it puts major stress on the rest of the bullpen as they have to fill in for the guys out, plus usually end up covering more innings for inexperienced starters that get knocked around early.This is not a good thing when trying to make a playoff push for the third straight years. The Rangers were lucky that the offense stayed off the disabled list in the first half and provided some extra run support, when needed. The good news is that most of these pitchers should return within two to three weeks after the break, which should provide some extremely rested arms and bodies to make that playoff push.
The pitchers for the Rangers had a pretty good first half. Harrison and Darvish both already have over 10 wins, which is a little more than I expected at this point in the season. Meanwhile, Colby Lewis and Derek Holland, the one and two starters on opening day, have both seen the disabled list, but contributed well while on the field. Robbie Ross may have been the biggest surprise so far this season and has provided great pitching the entire season out of the bullpen. Joe Nathan has found his old form again, and has been lights out at the end of the game. If these trends continue, the second half looks promising and another playoff run is almost guaranteed. The only thing that may change any for the pitchers is if the Rangers go out and get another starter, like Cole Hamels or Zack Greinke. I believe this would allow them to send Neftali Feliz back to the bullpen, which would make the rotation and bullpen both stronger. For right now though, the Rangers are still stretching out Feliz to return to the starting rotation. Could you imagine Alexi Ogando, Mike Adams, Ross,Feliz, and Nathan finishing games for the Rangers? That would take all pressure off the starters.
The Rangers offense just needs to continue what they are doing. They currently lead the league in runs, batting average, and on base percentage. As long as the everyday guys can stay healthy, I believe that these trends should continue. They could always add another big bat to the team, but I do not think that this is necessary to winning. But, it would be nice to add an extra bat just for security sake.
The second half should be interesting to say the least. With the Angels and Rangers both playing well, it truly will be a wild west shootout, and it does not get easier once the playoffs began as they will have to go through New York and a good Detroit team again. The Rangers won't back down and will need to pull out all their big guns in order to make a third World Series run.
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