Worried about the Rangers? Rest easy when it comes to offense

Those who have compiled a list of reasons to worry about the 2018 Texas Rangers might need another scroll.

Here's an example of where to start:

1. Cheapskates.

2. No closer.

3. Six-man rotation.

4. Who is the left fielder?

5. Can Adrian Beltre stay upright?

That's hardly all, and cheapskates might be on there a couple times.

Rougned Odor probably is high on most lists. Defense should be. The bullpen as a whole or the relievers in it are occupying several spots. The rest of the American League West improved during the off-season.

But the one thing that, as a whole, should be at the bottom of the list is the offense.

The game Thursday was the best indication yet that the Rangers are going to score runs, even if Beltre is sidelined at some point and if Odor doesn't show the needed improvement from 2017.

On a broader scale, the Rangers are putting together better at-bats, striking out less and doing what the game situation requires — things that needed improvement from last season.

It's only spring training, but the offense's trends are encouraging.

"Everybody's all-in with what's going on," said center fielder Delino DeShields, who will open the season atop the lineup. "We know what kind of offense we have. We know what we need to improve upon — cutting down on the strikeouts, being selectively aggressive early in the count, shrinking the zone late in the count, doing the little things to score runs."

Most of the lineup that produced five early runs and a bevy of hard-hit balls Thursday returned to the lineup Friday against the Seattle Mariners. Nomar Mazara and Ryan Rua, who each crushed home runs Thursday, were the notable absences.

In addition to the home runs, Joey Gallo and Elvis Andrus smacked doubles. Even some of the outs were line drives at defenders.

The Rangers scored three times with two outs in the first. DeShields used a bunt single and a walk to reach twice in four plate appearances. The game-winning run in the ninth came on a sacrifice fly by outfielder Destin Hood, who continues to have a nice spring.

There was a lot of good in the 6-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

"It was good at-bats," Beltre said. "Work the count. Know exactly what you need to do in situations. Yesterday was more of an idea. Basically, the whole lineup was in, and it was good to see that. We're getting closer to getting out of here, and we need to tighten up a little more."

The Rangers are batting .259 this spring, which ranks 18th in MLB, but also includes at-bats from minor-leaguers and camp invitees who won't be on the team. Among regulars, though, Elvis Andrus was batting .500 (9 for 18) entering Friday, DeShields was at .381 (13 for 37) and Beltre was at .385 (5 for 13).

Shin-Soo Choo (.308) had six walks and a .438 on-base percentage. Mazara (.306) had five extra-base hits. Though batting only .233, Gallo had struck out only five times in 30 at-bats. Odor, batting only .176, had drawn five walks.

For him, that must seem like 100. The coaching staff has taken note of all of it.

"Offense is not just hitting," manager Jeff Banister said. "It's the at-bat. It's the high-pitch at-bats. It's the hard contact. If you have to move a guy in an at-bat, you're down in the count in a conversion situation, can you convert that situation. That's been the thought process all spring."

"Strikeouts are down. We haven't been a high volume of walks, but when you look at the quality of contact, the quality of contact has absolutely increased. I'll take our chances if we continue to have the hard-contact ratio that we had yesterday, plus the idea of going up and looking at the one-pitch one-zone mentality."

DeShields offered another theory for the springtime success and the anticipated successes for the upcoming season. There is significant value in continuity.

"I think a lot of it is having been together for a long period of time," he said. "For the most part everybody in the lineup has played together the last three years. We're really comfortable with each other no matter where we hit in the lineup."

Whatever the reason is, the offense isn't a cause for concern.

Mariners 9, Rangers 7

This story was originally published March 16, 2018 at 12:44 PM with the headline "Worried about the Rangers? Rest easy when it comes to offense."