Thoughts on a 10-2 Rangers win

Rangers 10, Blue Jays 2

• Drew Smyly needed a solid day, and he had one. Rougned Odor also needed a solid day, and he also had one.
• Smyly came off the injured list today and what was easily his best outing of the year. With the team wanting to limit him to 60-70 pitches, Smyly threw 68 pitches over 4 innings, walking 2, allowing 2 hits (including a solo home run to Eric Sogard that baaaaaarely mad it over the wall) and striking out 5. According to Statcast, other than the Sogard home run, which had a 95.2 mph exit velocity, no ball in play against him had an exit velocity higher than 86.7 mph or an expected batting average higher than .120. He was missing bats, and even when the Jays put the ball in play, they went putting good wood on it.
• Kyle Dowdy pitched two shutout innings in relief of Smyly, allowing 1 hit, and picked up the win. Brett Martin pitched today for the second day in a row for the second time in the majors, and allowed a run on a pair of hits, but got a GIDP as well. Jeanmar Gomez, who hadn’t pitched since April 25, pitched a scoreless 8th and Jesse Chavez had a scoreless 9th.
• The Rangers didn’t face more than 4 Jays hitters in any inning today, which the broadcasters had as the primary rooting interest in the game in the late innings, once it was a blowout.
• The Rangers put runs on the board early when Joey Gallo hit a single up the middle, Asdrubal Cabrera doubled him home, and then Rougned Odor went deep, making it a 3-0 game. Cabrera then hit that momentum-shifting two out three run home run in the 3rd to make it 6-1, and it was all fun and games after that.
• Big day at the plate for Odor, who was 2 for 4, with his other hit being a 105.3 mph EV opposite field single. The broadcast talked during the game about the work he’s been putting in, and how Odor, and Woodward, felt he was close, and after the game Elvis Andrus talked about the importance Odor has to the team, how he’s their catalyst and the guy who gets them going. After a miserable start, hopefully this is the game that gets things turned around for him.
• Another guy who has been slumping of late, Asdrubal Cabrera, also had a big day. Cabrera has been scuffling since missing a few days with a calf injury, but his loud 2 for 4 was a big part of Texas burying Toronto early.
• Every Ranger except Jeff Mathishad a hit (I mean Delino DeShields), and Shin-Soo Choo was 3 for 4 with a walk and a bunt single, so even the “bunt against the shift” fans should be happy today.
• Back to .500. Given expectations coming into the season, anytime the Rangers are at .500 in 2019, it’s a success.