The 7-5 Start That Broke Texas: Why Sweeping the Mariners Actually Doomed the Rangers

Alright, Emerald City, listen up. Remember those Texas Rangers? The team that came into T-Mobile Park and swept our Mariners back in early April? Yeah, well, get this: they've been an absolute mess ever since! It’s wild, but that 7-5 start they had after beating our boys seems to have been the high point. Now they're desperately trying to find some consistency on the road against the Cardinals, and the numbers tell a brutal story.

The Rangers' Strange Slump Post-Seattle

Think about it. After sending our Mariners packing, the Rangers were sitting pretty at 7-5. You'd think that would be a springboard, right? WRONG. Since that series, they’ve limped to a 21-26 record. Ouch. They just scraped together a three-game winning streak against the Royals, their longest since April 6-8, which, coincidentally, was right after they swept us. It's almost like our guys put a hex on them!

They did bash the ball against Kansas City, scoring 22 runs and racking up 34 hits. But even with that flurry, the Rangers are still stuck with the seventh-fewest runs in all of MLB, with only 237 over 59 games. Their manager, Skip Schumaker, even admitted, "The small ball was kind of what set the tone this series, especially at the bottom part of the order, and teed up some of the big boys to knock them in." Small ball? Against the Royals? It just shows you how much they're trying to scrape by.

Cards, deGrom, and Young Guns

Now, Texas is facing the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that's won just two of its last seven but just took a series from the Cubs. St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said his team, the youngest in the majors, "continue to compete" and "continue to grow" through a "grueling May." Good for them, but let’s talk players. For Texas, third baseman Josh Jung is having a legit breakout. He’s hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, with 16 hits in 43 at-bats, good for a .372 clip. His season average is a stellar .316, 50 points better than any other year in his five-year career. That's a bright spot for them.

On the mound, Jacob deGrom is starting for Texas. The two-time Cy Young winner is sitting at 3-4 with a 3.77 ERA and is still chasing his 100th career win. He hasn’t gotten a W since May 10, and Busch Stadium is not his happy place. He’s 1-2 there with a brutal 8.44 ERA in three starts. Yikes. He did beat the Cardinals in Arlington last year, giving up just one run over six innings.

For the Cardinals, rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt is making noise, hitting safely in nine of his last 11 games. He’s batting .318 over that stretch and boosted his season average 17 points to .250. St. Louis is sending Michael McGreevy to the mound, who’s 3-4 with a 2.98 ERA. He just had his worst start, giving up five runs on seven hits in four innings against the Brewers. This will be his first time facing the Rangers, so who knows what will happen. Good news for the Cards, their bullpen is rested thanks to Hunter Dobbins saving them with 3 2/3 innings on Sunday.

So, while the Rangers are out there trying to figure things out, still reeling from whatever Seattle hex we put on them, our Mariners just pulled off a tight 3-2 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks at T-Mobile Park. It's a long season, but every win, every good performance from our guys like Cal Raleigh or Julio Rodriguez, matters. We’re watching our squad, we’re seeing them compete, and we’re ready for what's next. Let's keep that Emerald City spirit strong, 12s, and keep cheering on our boys!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.