Rangers and Twins meet in Free Game of the Day
The Texas Rangers know better than anyone how injuries can derail a promising season. In 2014, they were seemingly positioned to make a run at their fourth postseason appearance in five seasons when injury after injury robbed them of several key players, leading to a 67-win season and last place finish.
The 2016 season has been somewhat similar on the injury front. They haven’t been hit with a truly devastating loss, but they’ve been without several key players for significant stretches. Yet through them all, they’ve been able to sustain success with an MLB best 52 victories and an 8 1/2 game lead in the AL West.
They’ll look to continue that success in the MLB Free Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports on Saturday afternoon when they battle the Minnesota Twins. You can stream the game at Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index and video home beginning at 2:10 p.m. ET.
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A quick rundown of the injuries shows how especially hard the Rangers pitching staff has been hit this season. Yu Darvish started the season on the disabled list coming off Tommy John surgery. He missed the first eight weeks as a result. Then he returned to make three starts, only to land back on the DL with a shoulder ailment.
The Rangers are also currently without Colby Lewis and Derek Holland. The veteran hurlers are vital to the team’s rotation depth. Especially Lewis, who started the season with a 6-1 record and a solid 3.21 ERA through 15 starts. He’ll be lost at least through the end of July and potentially longer with a strained right lat muscle. Holland has been more up and down, posting a 5.20 ERA in 14 starts before being sidelined by shoulder inflammation.
That has put the spotlight on Cole Hamels, and so far he’s answered by posting an All-Star caliber season (9-1, 2.60 ERA). If there’s one big reason why the Rangers have been able to hang tough, it’s the stability Hamels has provided every five days. Beyond that though, this is obviously a very resilient team that’s been able to plug gaps all over the roster.
Catcher Robinson Chirinos missed nearly two months with a broken forearm. Shin-Soo Choo has had two separate stints on the DL with lower leg injuries. That’s not to mention the fact that Josh Hamilton’s season never started, or that Prince Fielder is nowhere near the player he once was.
All of those factors added up would knock a lot of teams off track. The Rangers have kept on fighting and surviving, which no doubt has the rest of the league’s attention.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
