Multi-Unit Look In Rangers Vs. Angels

Rangers vs. Angels, 9:38 ET

There are certain divisions in baseball that seem like they won't be decided until the very last day of the season, and others that seem like they are already decided. I'd argue that the majority of all divisions are two-team races. That's somewhat bad for the race we are watching now over in the American League West. The reason that is bad news is because the race really is likely between the Astros and the Mariners. However, it is still possible the Rangers and Angels could make a move that impacts it before it is all said and done.

The Rangers are above .500 and have been playing decent baseball lately. They are likely to make some additions to the team over the next day or two. Texas is batting just .232 for the season which is a bit low for a team that has the talent that they do. They are kind of wasting great pitching this season. Imagine having the Cubs offense and the Rangers pitching, for example. The biggest issue for the Rangers, even arguably bigger than the hitting, is they struggle significantly on the road. The team is 10 games under .500 as a visitor. Today they have a great chance to grab a victory as they send out Nathan Eovaldi to the hill. For the season, Eovaldi is 8-3 with a 1.50 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. I've mentioned this previously, but he has thrown fewer than 100 innings, so he doesn't qualify for the league lead in the numbers. He has been phenomenal this month, allowing just one earned run over 23.2 innings. The Rangers have won all four of his starts and no team has scored more than three runs against them when he starts. That includes a six-inning start against these Angels on the road in which he allowed five hits and one unearned run. 

May 31, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano (59) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the third inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The Angels are only a couple of games below .500 for the season, but they are above the mark on their home turf. This is a team that is likely to view this season as a success if they are even at the end of the year. That's how it goes for a franchise that struggles for so long. In baseball, you can find teams that improve year-to-year, but you can also find teams that make a huge jump from one season to the next. I'm curious to see what this team does. They are within a potential winning streak of having a shot at the division. They could fight for a Wild Card, or they could pack it in and see if they can get better for next year or future seasons. Today they send out Jose Soriano to the mound. Soriano is 7-7 for the season with a 3.79 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Soriano has some ugly numbers at home this season with a 1-5 record and a 5.37 home ERA. He is coming off of two straight quality starts, and one of those was at home. He faced Eovaldi in the same game mentioned previously, and he allowed five earned runs in four innings. 

The first instinct I had was to look at the total, because both teams are scoring quite a few runs this series. The Rangers have lost the first two games of the series and that stands out to me a bit more. Now they have one of their best pitchers going in the series, and we get him at a huge discount. The first five is more appealing to me than the full game, so I'll back Texas through five for a couple of units here. 

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