The Texas Rangers are suddenly in a three-way battle for the AL West crown following a terrible stretch of play, and one unbelievable stat shows how badly they need the back end of their bullpen to improve before the postseason.
The Rangers have lost nine of their last 11 games dating back to Aug. 16. They entered Tuesday in a tie for second place in the AL West, with both them and the Houston Astros trailing the Seattle Mariners by one game. At one point in mid-July, Texas had a 10-game lead in the division.
If the Rangers fail to win the division, their bullpen will be largely responsible. With roughly a month remaining in the regular season, they somehow have more blown saves than converted saves.
The Rangers currently have more blown saves than converted saves this season. pic.twitter.com/mMT8sRx1oo
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 28, 2023
The Rangers are 74-57. Yet, they somehow have converted just 24 saves and blown 25. That is a remarkable feat, and not in a good way. They even managed to blow two saves in the same game last week, which had previously only happened twice in franchise history.
On paper, the Rangers bullpen looks solid with Aroldis Chapman and Will Smith. The results have not been there, however. If the issues continue down the stretch, what was once a promising season could implode in a hurry.
