Texas Rangers’ Lineup Reconstruction
TORONTO — The Texas Rangers couldn’t live with their own offensive failure. Where did that bring them? Back to lineup reconstruction. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy would no doubt snap his fingers and alleviate his team’s maligned offense if he had an infinity gauntlet at his disposal. He’ll have to settle for quite possibly the last-best avenue that the Rangers have to jumpstart their bats with less than a quarter of the regular season left to play.
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The New Lineup
The Rangers ran out an overhauled lineup in Friday’s series opener vs. the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre that included shortstop Corey Seager third and second baseman Marcus Semien sixth. It was the most significant alteration that Bochy had made to his lineup in over a month. That garnered positive results in July, but since Aug. 1, the Rangers have reverted back to a bottom-five offense in most major statistical categories.
“The old adage I keep telling you,” Bochy said Friday, “keep doing what you’re doing, keep getting what you’re getting.”
Changes and Expectations
It’s the first time since June 27 that Seager has hit anywhere except second in the lineup, and that Semien has hit anywhere but third. The move shifted left fielder Wyatt Langford (whose .360 OBP since July 1 is the second-best on the team) into the two-hole in front of Seager. Semien, albeit in a three-game sample size, had a 1.555 OPS in the six-hole earlier this season when the Rangers made their first significant lineup change and shifted him out of the leadoff spot.
The lineup features four left-handed batters (right fielder Josh Smith, Seager, designated hitter Joc Pederson and center fielder Evan Carter) among the first five hitters in the lineup. Bochy believes it can give the Rangers an edge against certain right-handed starters and acknowledged it may make them susceptible to unfavorable bullpen matchups.
Offensive Struggles
That, Bochy said, is lower on his list of concerns at the moment. Starting pitchers — who, as a collective leaguewide position group, have a 4.18 ERA — have a 3.95 ERA against the Rangers. The 281 total runs that the Rangers have scored vs. starters this season is below the league average of 293 per team.
The issue was exasperated on their recent nine-game homestand in which the Rangers developed a habit of an early run or two followed by relative silence for the bulk of each game. They scored 10 runs in the 18 first and second innings that they played on the homestand; they scored just 18 runs in the remaining 63 innings.
“I like trying to get runs early,” Bochy said. “I do. Especially with these bullpens today. [The Blue Jays] have a great bullpen. Plus, we’ve got right-handed bats that we’re comfortable putting in there if we want to change the line.”
Recent News and Updates
Now they’ll see if it can change the tides.
Twitter: @McFarland_Shawn
Gray has a 7.71 ERA in six games pitched exclusively out of the bullpen this season for Texas.
Semien, 34, has not spent time on the injured list in seven years.
The Rangers have lost four straight with an offense that’s somehow gotten even worse since the trade deadline.
Conclusion
The Texas Rangers are trying to find a way to jumpstart their offense with less than a quarter of the regular season left to play. They have made significant changes to their lineup, including moving Corey Seager to third and Marcus Semien to sixth. The team is hoping that this new lineup will give them an edge against certain right-handed starters and help them score more runs. However, the Rangers have struggled with their offense all season, and it remains to be seen if these changes will be enough to turn things around.
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FAQs
Q: What changes have the Texas Rangers made to their lineup?
A: The Rangers have moved Corey Seager to third and Marcus Semien to sixth in their lineup.
Q: Why did the Rangers make these changes?
A: The Rangers are trying to find a way to jumpstart their offense, which has struggled all season.
Q: What are the expectations for the new lineup?
