The Rangers Swept Our Mariners, And Now Josh Jung's .316 Bat Has The League Watching

Alright, Seattle, buckle up. Remember that sting from early April when the Texas Rangers rolled into T-Mobile Park and handed our Mariners a sweep? Yeah, that one still stings. Well, those same Rangers, after a wildly inconsistent run, are suddenly on a three-game winning streak, their longest since, you guessed it, that very series against our boys from April 6-8! They’re fresh off sweeping the Royals and now they’re heading to St. Louis, hoping to keep this newfound offensive spark alive. We should be watching, because what happened after they left our city? They went a rough 21-26. But something is shifting for them, and one guy is absolutely lighting it up.

Jung's Bat Is On Fire, But Their Offense Is Still A Mystery

So, the Rangers just exploded against the Kansas City Royals, dropping 22 runs and smashing out 34 hits. That's a huge surge for a team that, despite this outburst, still ranks seventh-fewest in MLB with only 237 runs through 59 games. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker was talking about "small ball" setting the tone, especially from the bottom of their order. And who's leading the charge? Third baseman Josh Jung. This guy is having a breakout season, no joke. He's had a hit in 10 of his last 11 games, racking up 16 hits in his last 43 at-bats, which is a scorching .372. His season average is now a stellar .316, the best of his five-year career by 50 points! After what they did to us, seeing a player on that team go on this kind of tear is just frustratingly impressive. He's making them dangerous.

DeGrom's St. Louis Test & The Cards' Young Guns

Now, while Jung is on fire, the Rangers have to face the St. Louis Cardinals, and their ace Jacob deGrom is taking the mound. The two-time Cy Young winner is sitting at 3-4 with a 3.77 ERA, still hunting for his 100th career win. His last victory came on May 10. Here's the kicker, though: deGrom usually handles the Cardinals, sporting a 5-2 record against them, but Busch Stadium is a different beast for him. He's 1-2 there with a brutal 8.44 ERA in three starts! He did get a win against them last June 1, 2025, in Arlington, giving up just one run over six innings, but that St. Louis road ERA is a red flag.

The Cardinals themselves aren't exactly hot, winning just two of their last seven, though those were against the Cubs. Manager Oliver Marmol says his team, the youngest in the majors, "continue to compete" and "grow" through a grueling May. Keep an eye on rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt for the Cards, too. He's got hits in nine of his last 11 games, hitting .318 in that stretch and bumping his season average up to .250. St. Louis is throwing Michael McGreevy (3-4, 2.98) against the Rangers, and he’s coming off his worst start of the year, giving up five runs in four innings last Tuesday. Good news for the Cards' bullpen: Hunter Dobbins got called up from Triple-A and saved Sunday's game, giving their relief corps some much needed rest after they pitched 10 2/3 innings in the previous two games. So, if McGreevy falters, they’ll have fresh arms.

The Rangers roll into St. Louis for Monday night's game. Can they keep this momentum going, or will deGrom's Busch Stadium struggles open the door for the young Cardinals? Our M's definitely hope deGrom can't find his stuff. Either way, it's going to be a fascinating series to watch unfold.

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