Rangers reaction contemplates what a difference a few days makes

What a difference a few days makes in baseball. Am I right? On Wednesday night, Rangers nation was holding a pity party after the club had finished a 3-6 road trip with a 9-1 loss in Oakland.

Yes, a good chunk of those losses came in excruciating fashion. And, yes, despite a bunch of home runs, the offense has been scuffling for the most part.

But as has been pointed out since Babe Ruth was wolfing down cheeseburgers and beers between at-bats, the major league baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. And to be a dedicated baseball fan you have to learn to ride the waves, the highs and lows, the natural beauty of the game. The best teams always rise to the top. You don’t get lucky for an entire 162-game season, no matter what sabermetric nerd behind a bank of laptops thinks of one-run wins (See: The Rangers’ 2016 record in one-run games and their run differential).

So take the Rangers’ current three-game winning streak however you want. Their walk-off win Saturday night — the second in the past three games — doesn’t mean much more than their 3-6 road trip. But it’s a start.

Here’s the reaction from late on a Saturday night:

1. Nick of time — Nick Martinez came up big in an emergency situation Saturday night. With A.J. Griffin on the disabled list, Martinez, who was scheduled to start Saturday for Triple A Round Rock, was called up for the start in Arlington. All he did was throw a no-hitter for 5 1/3 innings. Easy peasy. He kept the Royals in check for seven innings and helped preserve the bullpen for another night just as Cole Hamels did with eight innings Friday. Martinez has had success in the majors. In 2015, he was the most reliable pitcher on the staff for the first two months. Martinez was one of the last players cut from the Opening Day roster but knew he’d likely be the first man up when a need arose.

“I had a tougher time last year dealing with it,” he said. “I’ve just come to getting myself ready in the best possible position to succeed just by preparing and being mentally ready for anything.”

2. Hit and run ... or not — Rougned Odor’s steal of second base in the ninth inning was a hit and run that Elvis Andrus swung and missed on. Thankfully for the Rangers, Odor made it safely to set up Andrus’ game-winning single.

“We talked about it early in the game, there would be situations, some hit-and-run opportunities, and that situation came up there late,” manager Jeff Banister said. “With an aggressive base runner in Odor, we feel comfortable with him on the bases, making good decisions, good read, and I feel comfortable with Elvis with a bat in his hand situationally.”

Andrus showed bunt early in the count, which had Royals infielders moving in. Andrus connected on a similar sinker and drove toward the corner in left and Odor scored easily.

“Great presence, good feel for the bat, he’s seeing the ball well,” Banister said of Andrus. “He settled himself down and stayed engaged in the at-bat. I think he’s comfortable in that situation, especially with Rougie at second base.”

3. Veterans day — Veterans Mike Napoli and Carlos Gomez are both still hitting below .200, but there are signs that perhaps they’re snapping out of it. Napoli’s opposite-field homer to right in the second is obviously a good sign. Gomez had three of the Rangers’ seven hits Saturday. The Rangers aren’t concerned about either player.

“They have too many at-bats under their belts. We have no worries for them,” Andrus said. “We know they’re going to keep working, and everything is going to click for them and they’re going to get hot. There’s no pressure on them, especially when guys are veterans.”

3. Palumbo decides on Tommy John — Rangers pitching prospect Joe Palumbo has decided to have Tommy John surgery after being diagnosed with a tear earlier this week. The left-hander is rated by MLB.com as the No. 6 prospect in the organization. He was selected in the 30th round of the 2013 draft. He was 7-5 with a 2.24 ERA and 122 strikeouts over  96 1/3 innings for Low A Hickory in 2016.

The 22-year-old had allowed one earned run combined and recorded 22 strikeouts in his first three starts for High A Down East this season before leaving his last start early with the injury.

This story was originally published April 22, 2017 at 11:44 PM with the headline "Rangers reaction contemplates what a difference a few days makes."