Thoughts on a 15-5 Rangers win

Rangers 15, Red Sox 5

• The offense woke up.
• I am imagining someone getting mad after Jon Gray gave up that second inning homer, shutting off the game, and not checking in again until hours later.
• Shit looked bleak early on though, didn’t it? Gray having command issues, Rangers going down 4-0, the box o’ chocolates Rangers offense nor having done a ton of late to inspire confidence that they could put up big numbers.
• The offense did, of course, put up big numbers. Starting in the bottom of the second, when Texas hung six runs on the board before a single out was recorded. Three run Jonah Heim bomb, solo shot from Mitch Garver, two run single by Marcus Semien to bring Leody Taveras and Evan Carter home.
• That’ll get your seltzer bubbling.
• The Rangers went on to put up crooked numbers in the next four innings after that, while Martin Perez, summoned to take over with one out in the third, did a masterful job of shutting down the BoSox, needing just 64 pitches to go 4.2 shutout innings, striking out five and walking just one.
• Bruce Bochy said after the game the Rangers were considering putting Perez back into the rotation. On the one hand, Perez has been really good in a long man role the past month and a half. On the other hand, Gray has been floundering, and two other rotation spots are currently manned by Dane Dunning and Cody Bradford, so…
• Aw, who am I kidding. Cody Bradford will probably end up starting Game Three of the Wild Card Round.
• Things went so swimmingly Jonathan Hernandez got the eighth and Will Smith was given a “get back on the horse” ninth. Hernandez struck out three batters. Smith allowed three hits and a run. Mixed bag, there.
• Every Ranger starter got a hit and scored a run. Every Ranger starter except Nathaniel Lowe had an RBI. That’s pretty good, I think.
• Evan Carter was a triple shy of a cycle. His OPS on the season is now 1034.
• The much maligned Leody Taveras was 2 for 3 with a walk and a sac fly that came real close to leaving the yard. His wRC+ on the year is now 100.
• Josh Jung had three hits. Even Ezequiel Duran came off the bench and had a hit!
• It felt like a May game, like when the Rangers were boat racing everyone and something silly like an early four run deficit wouldn’t faze us.
• Now to just keep that energy going a while.
• Jon Gray reached 97.3 mph on his fastball. Martin Perez hit 93.9 mph with his sinker. Jonathan Hernandez’s sinker touched 99.0 mph. Will Smith reached 92.0 mph with his fastball.
• Nathaniel Lowe’s 110.6 mph second inning groundout was the hardest hit ball of the game. Lowe also had a 106.6 mph single and a 100.2 mph GIDP. Adolis Garcia had a 107.2 mph double. Mitch Garver had a 106.5 mph home run. Marcus Semien had a 106.2 mph single. Evan Carter had a 105.2 mph home run. Josh Jung had a 103.9 mph home run. Leody Taveras had a 103.5 mph sac fly that, per Statcast, would have been out of 19 of 30 MLB parks. Jonah Heim had a 101.2 mph home run.
• A blowout win heading into the final off day of the season. Ten games left, seven of which are with Seattle. Buckle up.