Rangers Reaction after Yu Darvish goes even deeper still

You don’t want to put too much significance into one victory, especially against a scuffling club such as the Oakland A’s.

But the Rangers’ 6-2 win Wednesday completed a three-game sweep, which is something they hadn’t done in nearly three weeks. The last was a four-game sweep of the Royals on July 31.The Rangers hadn’t won a home series against the A’s since June 2013. The Rangers are hoping it’s a sign that they’ve rediscovered some of that May-June magic with the final six weeks of the regular season ahead.

With 40 games left to play, the Rangers have the best record in the American League at 72-50 and the second-best record in the majors behind the Chicago Cubs (76-43).

They get a day off Thursday before starting a five-game road trip against two of the worst teams in the league. They begin a three-game set at Tampa Bay on Friday and, after another off day Monday, play two games in Cincinnati. Both have won just 50 games and sit in last place of their respective divisions.

Here are three thoughts from the Rangers’ broom-wielding Wednesday night:

1. Yu Da Man — No, I’m not above using hackneyed slang. On Wednesday, for the sixth consecutive start, it fits Yu Darvish perfectly. Since returning from the disabled list July 16, Darvish has been outstanding. He’s made six consecutive quality starts to match Colby Lewis’ club-best stretch this season and has a 2.70 ERA in his past seven starts. Most importantly, he’s getting deeper and deeper into games. He pitched in the eighth Wednesday for the first time since June 28, 2014, before leaving after a lead-off double. He did it with eight fewer pitches (99) than his last outing when he went 6 2/3 innings. He did that despite striking out nine, the fourth time he’s struck out at least nine in 2016.

From mental standpoint, Darvish seems to be past the apprehension-phase since returning from Tommy John surgery.

“Elbow-wise I have no problems. It’s almost the same as [before] the Tommy John surgery,” Darvish said. “There are problems here and there and I think in my mind, ‘Am I going to be OK?’ It’s like that every outing. But I have learned so much from my previous experiences that I use in a game to make adjustments.”

2. Speaking of adjustments — Catcher Jonathan Lucroy said he and Darvish have been able to adjust their gameplan in Darvish’s last three starts with Lucroy behind the plate. The A’s, for instance, were sitting on fastballs up in the zone so Lucroy had Darvish stay lower in the zone. “His starts have been a little different in that we’ve adjusted the game plan as we go along,” he said. “We were able to keep those guys off-balance and create a lot of weak contact.”

Lucroy and Ian Desmond each had three RBIs, including Lucroy’s two-run double in the seventh that gave Texas a four-run lead. The A’s walked Beltre in front of Lucroy to load the bases.

“In that situation, he's a sinker ball guy ... they want you to roll something or get jammed,” Lucroy said. “I was trying to hit the ball hard somewhere, and he left one up in the zone and I was able to stay inside.”

3. Rougie’s swing — Rougned Odor got a day off against the A’s left-handed starter Sean Manaea Wednesday night. It’s Odor’s first game off since June 21. Manager Jeff Banister hopes it helps freshen him up physically and mentally, which in turn helps get his swing back under control. Odor is an aggressive swinger at the plate, which is what makes him a dangerous hitter, Banister said. Sometimes, however, that aggressiveness can work against him when pitchers stay out of the zone and get him to chase. “Rougie likes to swing the bat,” Banister said. “I’d love to be able to say Rougie is going to control the strike zone like [Carlos] Beltran does but I don’t know that that’s best for Rougie. Every time Rougie swings the bat and makes solid contact it makes a really loud noise and goes a long ways. I’d love for him not to chase as much as he does but sometimes you allow a guy to be aggressive because you know that’s what makes him as good as he is.”

It’s not as though Odor has been in a huge slump of late, but he’s 3 for 20 in his last five games. The off day on Thursday enhances Odor’s night off even more, Banister said.

“Rougie has been going at it hard,” he said.

This story was originally published August 18, 2016 at 2:40 AM with the headline "Rangers Reaction after Yu Darvish goes even deeper still."