So Texas has now swept two straight series...over the last week, the offense has posted a .312/.372/.628 line, for an OPS of exactly 1000, and 46 runs scored.
Texas pitchers, meanwhile, have held their opponents over that six game stretch to a .238/.278/.356, and allowed just 14 runs. Granted, it has been Houston and Kansas City, but still, this is pretty impressive...
Richard Hidalgo, of all people, has a 1661 OPS, and has raised his OPS by 236 points over the past two weeks. Now, it is still just 776, with a .301 OBP, but still, if this is a Hidalgo revival, and not just a hot streak, it greatly mitigates the need for an additional bat...particularly given Dellucci's Barry Bonds imitation this season...
The Rangers have seen their EQA skyrocket to .275, going from a little below middle-of-the-pack to 5th in the majors in just a couple of weeks, and while David Dellucci is still, by far, the best offensive player on the team this year (and unlikely to sustain his .360 EQA), Teixeira, Blalock, Mench, Soriano, and Young have all picked up the pace as well, leaving the Rangers with just one position -- catcher -- where they are significantly below average. And the Rangers are now second in the A.L. in runs scored, trailing only the Yankees.
I've always believed that the Rangers need to be in the top three or four in runs scored to be a playoff team, simply because of the nature of their home park...if they are in the middle-of-the-pack in runs scored, playing 81 games at TBIA, their offense is likely simply too weak to get them into the playoffs, no matter how strong the pitching staff is. This current surge bodes well for the Rangers chances...