{"id":8822,"date":"2025-07-06T02:20:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T08:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/?p=8822"},"modified":"2025-07-06T02:20:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T08:20:06","slug":"rephrase-single-title-from-this-title-has-this-weakness-of-the-texas-rangers-offense-been-the-biggest-detractor-of-success-and-it-must-return-only-title-i-dont-want-any-extra-information-or-introdu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/2025\/07\/06\/rephrase-single-title-from-this-title-has-this-weakness-of-the-texas-rangers-offense-been-the-biggest-detractor-of-success-and-it-must-return-only-title-i-dont-want-any-extra-information-or-introdu\/","title":{"rendered":"Rephrase single title from this title Has this weakness of the Texas Rangers offense been the biggest detractor of success? . And it must return only title i dont want any extra information or introductory text with title e.g: ” Here is a single title:”"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Texas Rangers’ Lineup Struggles<\/h1>\n

The impotence and ineffectiveness of the Texas Rangers lineup has been discussed and diagnosed ad nauseum. The list of issues is by no means small. The solution \u2014 or solutions \u2014 is certainly not limited to one singular aspect.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t disqualify the following question.<\/p>\n

Has the team\u2019s inability to capitalize with runners in scoring position been the single largest individual detractor of offensive success this season?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, yeah,\u201d Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. \u201cAny team that\u2019s not winning games probably can look at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Problem with Runners in Scoring Position<\/h2>\n

The Rangers, who\u2019ve been one of baseball\u2019s worst in situations with runners at second and third base this season, have undoubtedly looked at it enough as they\u2019ve continued to squander chances while they attempt to make up ground in the American League West before the All-Star break.<\/p>\n

Consider this: The Rangers are 14-15 in one-run games but have lost 15 of the last 23 they\u2019ve played. They hit just 14 for 102 \u2014 or a .137 batting average \u2014 with runners in scoring position in those 15 one-run losses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of been the story of this year so far,\u201d super utility man Josh Smith said after Friday\u2019s 3-2 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in which the Rangers went 1 for 12 with runners at second and third base. \u201cCan\u2019t get that guy in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extra Inning Struggles<\/h3>\n

The struggles shined uncomfortably bright during a nine-game stretch that preceded Saturday\u2019s contest against the Padres in which the Rangers have lost four of the five extra inning games that they\u2019ve played.<\/p>\n

Second baseman Marcus Semien, shortstop Corey Seager and right fielder Adolis Garc\u00eda hit a combined 4 for 14 in extra innings \u2014 in which the frame begins with a runner on second base \u2014 since a June 24 win against the Baltimore Orioles in extra innings.<\/p>\n

The rest of the lineup has hit a combined 0 for 24 in that same span. The Rangers were 0 for 3 in the 10th inning of Friday\u2019s 3-2 loss and failed to move Smith, the ghost runner, to third base.<\/p>\n

Statistics and Rankings<\/h2>\n

The Rangers\u2019 .645 OPS with runners in scoring position this season is the third-worst in baseball, ahead of only the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox, as is their weighted runs created metric (70) and weighted on base average (.279). Their .542 OPS in high-leverage situations, according to FanGraphs, is also the third-worst mark in baseball.<\/p>\n

Only four hitters \u2014 Semien (.874), outfielder Sam Haggerty (.778), outfielder Evan Carter (.747) and outfielder Wyatt Langford (.744) \u2014 are better than league average with runners at second and third base. Haggerty said that the key to success in those situations is a resolute approach that doesn\u2019t waver after failure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a results game, we all want results,\u201d said Haggerty, who popped out to end Friday\u2019s game and strand Smith at second base. \u201cWe all want results and we all want to win at the end of the day. It\u2019s kind of placing trust in the fact that we play so many games that maintaining your approach, more often than not, will yield what you\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adjustments and Changes<\/h3>\n

And if it doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe over time if it\u2019s a long period,\u201d Haggerty said, \u201cmaybe there\u2019s a change that needs to be made.\u201d<\/p>\n

More on the exact impediments that may require an overhauled approach shortly. First, it\u2019s essential to understand why that may be necessary. Six of last year\u2019s postseason eligible teams ranked within the top 10 leaguewide in OPS with runners in scoring position and only two teams outside the top 15 qualified for the playoffs. The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, whom met in the World Series, ranked fourth and sixth respectively.<\/p>\n

The Rangers ranked seventh two years ago when they won a championship. Even last year\u2019s team \u2014 which took a significant step back offensively on the whole from the season prior \u2014 still had the eighth-best OPS with runners in scoring position.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Changed This Year?<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe biggest difference I\u2019ve seen is the strikeouts and expanding,\u201d Bochy said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t do that as much last year. Now, sure, credit goes to these arms we\u2019re seeing, you\u2019ve got to look at who we\u2019re facing. But, still, we did a better job of putting the ball in play. That\u2019s gotten away from us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rangers\u2019 23.7% strikeout rate with runners in scoring position is the fifth-highest in baseball and a tick greater than their 22% strikeout rate in all offensive scenarios.<\/p>\n

The root of the problem lies in the team\u2019s inability to lay off pitches outside of the strike zone. They\u2019ve swung at 32.7% of pitches outside of the strike zone with runners in scoring position, which, coincidentally, is the exact same percentage as their overall chase rate in any scenario.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s an issue, and it exemplifies the team\u2019s incapacity to make the proper adjustments at the plate. Last season, for example, the Rangers swung at 31.4% of pitches outside of the strike zone in all situations. But, with runners in scoring position, their chase rate dropped by several percentage points to 29.1%. That would rank second-best in baseball regardless of the situation this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could be confidence, it could be a flaw in the mechanics,\u201d Bochy said. \u201cIt could be trying to drive the ball too much. We\u2019ve got to get back to meet the ball, play pepper, whatever you want to say. That\u2019s kind of where we\u2019re trying to get back to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle Higashioka\u2019s all-time performance among Rangers catchers powers Texas\u2019 win vs. Padres<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n

He\u2019s the first player in Texas history to total five RBIs and a stolen base in a single game as a catcher.<\/p>\n

\"Law
\nTroy Aikman, Texas sports teams react to deadly flood at Guadalu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Texas Rangers’ Lineup Struggles The impotence and ineffectiveness of the Texas Rangers lineup has been discussed and diagnosed ad nauseum. The list of issues is by no means small. The solution \u2014 or solutions \u2014 is certainly not limited to one singular aspect. That doesn\u2019t disqualify the following question. Has the team\u2019s inability to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":8823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8822","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/UHGA2HFOAVGGLPV6JC6EUE4E6E.jpg?auth=02e352c316a23d790ce5047d408c11c9816e5c2872963ba153ace3fcf6f05f39&height=630&width=1200&focal=2153,819&quality=80","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8822"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8822"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8824,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8822\/revisions\/8824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}