By Just Baseball,West Jones
Copyright yardbarker
There are two sides to the equation in baseball. A team must score, and a team must keep the other team from scoring. The 2025 Texas Rangers have done an outstanding job at the latter.
Sure, they could have done better still, but when a team is leading all of baseball in both pitching and defense with only nine games left, they are dang sure doing something right.
Other 2025 Rangers Oddities
Early on this season, the Rangers’ offense was nonexistent. That is a fact. But then the guys started hitting, and better yet, scoring runs, and they have put up some solid numbers over the back half of the season.
Just looking inside the state of Texas, the Rangers have scored more runs than their AL West rival Houston Astros. The Rangers have scored 653, and the Astros 652.
Yes, I am aware that the difference in those two numbers is only one. But when you look at the number of runs allowed between the two teams, it paints a very different picture.
The Rangers have a run differential of +87, while the Astros are at +27. In fact, the Rangers’ +87 run differential is tied with the Tigers for third best in the American League and seventh best in all of baseball.
With those types of numbers, the Rangers’ 86-67 expected win-loss record is first in the AL West, third in the American League, and seventh in MLB. Unfortunately for Rangers fans, it’s a team’s actual W/L column that determines who makes the postseason.
The road has also been extremely unfriendly to the Rangers. At home, the club has an impressive record of 47-28. On the road, however, the Rangers have managed to go just 32-46 thus far.
Almost everyone loves home cooking and their own bed better than sleeping in a hotel and eating takeout. But going from a .627 winning percentage at home to a .410 on the road is mind-boggling.
That is a good way to sum up the Rangers’ season with nine games remaining: Mind-boggling.
They lead the league in pitching and defense and have one of the top run differentials in all of baseball, and yet, they are most likely going to have to sit and reflect on a season lost for the next five months. Yes, mind-boggling.
That is where the Rangers find themselves, and that is how it has played out. About the time that you think that you have seen everything that you can in baseball, something else comes rolling your way.
