Texas Rangers Week 6 Recap: An Improving Bullpen?

Season record: 16-16

Week 6 record: 2-3

Series record: 5-3, 2 split (April home series against Oakland is TBD since Saturday’s game was postponed until June 8th)

One again, the Rangers started out the week with multiple losses and ended it with two weekend wins. In their third inter-league series of the year, the Rangers dropped both games against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The two off days in the week really benefited the bullpen and it showed in the weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

While Friday’s game ended in a 1-0 loss after 12 innings, the fact that the Rangers could even hold a team scoreless for that long with the bullpen pitching five innings before surrendering a run is surprising considering the amount of work they’ve been doing in recent weeks.

It’s seemed like the Rangers bullpen has been worked a bit harder as of recent with Edinson Volquez being injured, Drew Smyly on the I.L, and Shelby Miller not being able to make it through many innings, there has been many bullpen heavy games. While, Saturday and Sunday’s game showed more offense for the Rangers, what stood out to me was how locked in the bullpen became.

In the Toronto series the bullpen pitched 13 innings and gave up nine hits, three walks, two runs (one unearned), and struck out nine.

In the two-game Pittsburgh series, the Rangers bullpen pitched 11 innings and gave up 13 hits, five walks, nine runs (one unearned), and struck out 11.

They’ll have another off day on Monday before starting a 10 day, nine game road trip starting with another two game series against Pittsburgh.