Rangers First Impression: A Promising Performance in Toronto
First impressions can be impactful. While it's impossible to draw conclusions about someone—say going on a first date with someone you've never met before—that first impression has the potential to stick around for a while.
With the renovation of the Texas Rangers roster over the offseason, we knew this team was going to look different than its 2021 counterpart. Most importantly, this lineup had the potential to do some real damage.
But it's one thing to see the changes on paper. It's something else entirely to see how it plays between the lines.
Yes, the Rangers went 1-2 in the opening series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Those first two games had some rough moments, highlighted by six runs allowed with two outs in Friday's season opener—the catalyst for the 10-8 loss.
However, the Rangers outscored the Blue Jays, 23-20, during the series. As a matter of fact, just like spring training, the Rangers ended baseball's opening weekend as the league's leader in runs scored.
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Remember, this is a Blue Jays team that is one of the heavy favorites to win the World Series. Not only did Texas outscore this potent and formidable Toronto lineup, much of the Blue Jays' offseason was spent solidifying their pitching staff. They locked up José Berríos to a multi-year extension and added 2021 All-Star Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi to their starting rotation.
Against the respective trio of Berríos, Gausman and former National League Cy Young runner-up Hyun Jin Ryu, the Rangers slashed .390/.457/.585/1.042. Corey Seager opened his Rangers career with three straight multi-hit games and Brad Miller racked up five RBI in the series. However, the newcomers weren't the only ones that made an impression.
Nathaniel Lowe had four RBI. Adolis García carried over some of the plate discipline we saw in spring training and hit a clutch, game-tying home run on Opening Day. In his first game of the season, Nick Solak hit a solo home run and scored four runs. Jonah Heim caught two games over the weekend, going 3-for-7 with a homer and three RBI.
When it comes to the offense, so far so good.
We already knew the Rangers' pitching wasn't up to par with the offense. Not yet. The future of the pitching staff is brighter than it's ever been before. But we knew going in that 2022 wasn't the year the Rangers would become a serious postseason threat. You have to have pitching. And much of the Texas staff is unproven, at best.
But if you're looking for a silver lining, the bullpen put two lackluster performances on Friday and Saturday behind them and answered with a masterful performance on Sunday.
After the offense clawed back from a 6-1 deficit, the combination of Brock Burke, Dennis Santana, John King, Josh Sborz and Joe Barlow combined for six scoreless innings—all against the likes of George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Teoscar Hernández, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Matt Chapman.
Remember, this was the first series since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that Rogers Centre had no limits on attendance. After no fans attended any regular season game in 2020, fans in Toronto had to watch their team play their home games in Florida and Buffalo until late July last year. Even when they returned to Rogers Centre, attendance was limited.
This weekend was a big deal, and the Rangers played well enough to win two of three games.
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Ultimately, baseball relies on results. The Rangers didn't win two of three. However, the positives from the series outweigh the negatives. We knew the offense was ahead of the pitching, and that's exactly what we saw.
But like that first date, a first impression isn't everything. Especially considering the opening series counts as less than two percent of the Rangers' schedule. It's irresponsible to draw any conclusion that the Rangers are going to finish the season as the top-scoring offense. However, we did see the grit, grind and other characteristics of an offense that is capable of doing its fair share of damage.
Now, they Rangers are coming home to Texas to open their home schedule with two games against the Colorado Rockies and four more against their American League West rival Los Angeles Angels. The comfort of their own ballpark while facing lesser opponents than Toronto will still present plenty of challenges. After all, the Angels boast two of the game's brightest stars in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.
As the Rangers open Globe Life Field on Monday, which feels like the first real home opener in the ballpark's third season, the focus will be on maintaining a promising performance. There's still a long way to go. But as far as first impressions go, it was a very positive way to kick things off.
