It's looking like the key injured pieces for the Rangers may be returning soon, as Max Scherzer is finishing his rehab assignment and is eyeing a return to the team. DeGrom might not be too far behind. And it couldn't come at a better time. Yes, the Rangers do have a full rotation, and a well-stocked one, consisting of Nate Eovaldi, Dane Dunning, Michael Lorenzen, Andrew Heaney and Jon Gray, but...considering that the depth chart going into this season foreshadowed a Scherzer-DeGrom-Eovaldi-Gray-Bradford rotation...you see how that's less exciting, right?
Look, a lot of this is just the Rangers' poor luck, and this has already cost them Josh Jung, which is already pretty heartbreaking, but losing Cody Bradford after an insanely insane start to the season, not even getting Scherzer or deGrom til the season's half over, and already losing Eovaldi for some starts, just feels cruel at this point. In 2020, when they lost Corey Kluber immediately, they still had contingency options. Last year when Jake Odorizzi wasn't an option out of camp they still had Dunning, and eventually Bradford once deGrom got hurt. And they're extremely lucky they had viable starting options in this event. But...I dunno, some of this just doesn't feel as reassuring anymore.
I mean, they do have Michael Lorenzen, having fully recovered from his post-breakout shakiness last year. Lorenzen, who was honestly only a last minute addition of a signing, has been a steady, consistent option for the Rangers, which is wild in itself. He's got a 3.00 ERA in 12 starts, isn't overtaxing himself and is just being very smart with ball placement. Overthrowing got him in trouble with the Phils after the no-no, he seems to have learned his lesson and is just vexing batters rather than bowling them over. Lorenzen having a lower ERA than Eovaldi, Gray and Dunning is...surprising.
And it's not like it's not understandable. Eovaldi throws hard, of course there's gonna be some wear and tear. Dunning's been on 6th man duty for 3 years, he's had to be on the whole time, of course he's sagging a bit. The point of this rotation was for people like Dunning and Heaney to take less important roles, not be this much in the spotlight. And the hope is that once Scherzer and deGrom come back, Dunning and Heaney can shift back into long relief roles and even out a bit. But...when they come back, are they gonna stay awhile?
The lineup has Semien, Seager, Heim and Josh Smith surging, but Adolis Garcia has gone positively cold, Wyatt Langford's still struggling, Nathaniel Lowe's less accurate than usual, and the soon-to-return Evan Carter is looking far less confident than he did in the frigging playoffs last year. The thrill, even in June, seems to be gone. The Mariners are way ahead, the Astros are gaining, the momentum's just not there. And the hope is that it soon will be, and the returning pitchers will bring some, but...is that too much to put upon two guys who've famously missed a lot of games the past two years?
It's so indistinct. A complete 180 from last year. Sad to see, honestly.
Coming Tonight: Last time the votes were tallied, it was looking like he had a nice shot at starting an All Star Game. Is...is he back??
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