Does One Big Hit Signal Texas Rangers Offense Turned A Corner?

The Texas Rangers hope Wyatt Langford’s first-inning single is a signal of more to come from the entire offense.

Jun 9, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter Wyatt Langford (36) his a two-run double during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Globe Life Field. / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON — One big hit. That’s all it takes sometimes. One timely hit.

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said it again during pre-game on Sunday before facing the San Francisco Giants in the series finale. He’s as aware as anyone that the Rangers have been in a month-long offensive valley, with rare exceptions.

He’s had his players’ backs. He’s tweaked the lineup. He’s stayed the course. The only thing he hasn’t done is take a swing, and that might not be the best idea for a lifetime .239 hitter.

But one big hit is all it takes sometimes, he said. He said it again after Sunday’s game.

“If we get a big hit, sometimes that can get the club going,”he said.

In this case, that “big hit” came from rookie Wyatt Langford in the first inning. With the bases loaded and the two batters before him striking out, the pressure was on for Langford to come through in the clutch. He did, and his two-run single helped open up a three-run inning for Texas.

Consider the situation. The Rangers had the bases loaded with no one out after Marcus Semien was hit by a pitch, Josh Smith walked and Adolis García singled. Then Nathaniel Lowe and Ezequiel Duran both struck out.

Wyatt Langford gets things cooking for the @Rangers. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9uk6WvI7gU

— MLB (@MLB) June 9, 2024

These are the types of situations in which the Rangers have fallen short lately.

Langford, a rookie, is still shaking off the rust of an injured list stint. He entered the game batting .224 for the season and was 8-for-34 since his activation from the 10-day injured list on May 28. He didn’t play on Saturday, with Bochy saying that Langford “needed a day.”

Langford’s at-bat had the potential to either break the game open or snuff out a golden opportunity that the Rangers have, lately, squandered.

Langford swung at the first pitch from Giants starter Keaton Winn, a 95 mph fastball and grounded it up the middle. Semien and Smith scored. The Rangers had a 2-0 lead.

The sense of relief in Globe Life Field was palpable.

“Everybody’s been talking about it,” Semien said of the team’s offensive struggles. “So it’s good to break out of it.”

After that, the Rangers kept rolling. Langford and García worked a double steal so García could score the third run. Semien hit a two-run home run to left field in the second. Ezequiel Duran’s 2 RBI single in the fifth brought home two more.

It underscored the point Bochy made during pre-game — these Rangers were among the league leaders in hits and runs just a month ago.

But entering Sunday the Rangers were batting .213 with 79 runs in their last 25 games. They were averaging 3.2 runs per game and had scored one or zero runs in eight games since the start of May, tied for third in the Majors in that span.

Bochy has strived to be patient, knowing what this lineup did in 2023 and knowing that they’re not at full strength with third baseman Josh Jung and outfielder Evan Carter on the injured list. Shortstop Corey Seager has missed the last three games after tweaking his hamstring.

At some point, however, the Rangers must turn a corner offensively. Only time will tell if Langford’s timely single did the job.

At least one Rangers pitcher believes its coming.

“I feel like we’re about to hit that good stretch of baseball,” Nathan Eovaldi said.

DFW sports fans...if you want to watch a quick, fun highlight of Wyatt Langford to warm you up for the Mavs game, here you go: pic.twitter.com/23yy3pfZeh

— Jared Sandler (@JaredSandler) June 9, 2024

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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