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Texas Rangers catcher Elias D\u00edaz (from left), shortstop Ezequiel Duran, pitcher Luis Curvelo and second baseman Justin Foscue celebrate after a victory over the Cleveland Guardians in a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Arlington.<\/p>\n
Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
ARLINGTON\u00a0\u2014 The barometer of swell performance can be defined in any number of ways. The Rangers<\/a> can at least point to two\u00a0\u2014 they might\u2019ve figured out how to hit at Globe Life Field (gasp!) and figured out how to rough up left-handed pitchers (another gasp!)<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 to suggest that tides have shifted in desired directions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now they\u2019ve got to prove that it was more than just a one-weekend fling.\u00a0<\/p>\n Until then, here are five things we learned about the Rangers last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It\u2019s time for the weekly perspective check\u00a0<\/p>\n The last time we spoke, after a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals<\/a>, there was cautious optimism that the Rangers had gotten themselves into a groove. This week, after a third consecutive series win, two of which came against teams currently in a playoff position, there\u2019s a tad more certainty that the Rangers are on their first real heater of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung celebrates with right fielder Brandon Nimmo after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field on Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Arlington.<\/p>\n Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Their 7-2 record since last weekend has been their best nine-game stretch this year. They\u2019re only a game and a half behind the first-place Seattle Mariners in the American League West, and if the postseason began today, they\u2019d be in as the league\u2019s third wild card team. They only had shortstop Corey Seager (who hit a home run in Friday\u2019s win against the Cleveland Guardians)<\/a> for two of those games and left fielder Wyatt Langford (who hit a home run in Sunday\u2019s win over the Guardians)<\/a> in three of them. They\u2019ve averaged 5.2 runs in their last nine games despite that, and in Sunday\u2019s blowout win, they hit more home runs at Globe Life Field than they have in any other game this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s the kind of stretch that can theoretically create real momentum.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI hope so,\u201d Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. \u201cI mean, when you get Seager and Wyatt back, that definitely is momentum in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n Got a problem? Ezequiel Duran has \u2014 or rather is \u2014 the solution\u00a0<\/p>\n The Rangers found T-shirts in their respective lockers before Sunday\u2019s game against the Guardians. It had three photos of Duran cropped together in the center, and above them, in the design of a chain, it read \u201cThe Solution.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe gave himself that nickname,\u201d\u00a0Schumaker said. \u201cHe was trying to convince me that he was the solution early on in the year and it kind of carried over to everyone calling him The Solution.\u201d<\/p>\n A few Rangers players are wearing t-shirts with Ezequiel Duran\u2019s face on them. <\/p>\n They read: \u201cThe Solution.\u201d It was a nickname given to him in winter ball after he played all over the field.<\/p>\n \u201cHe actually has been the solution in many, many ways,\u201d Skip Schumaker said. pic.twitter.com\/A4zr0Iawnf<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) June 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n So, technically, Duran did not give himself that moniker. Duran played for the Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican Winter League before this season, and after he switched from shortstop to third base to the outfield in one single game, teammate Angel Genao made a decree.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cYou are the solution,\u201d Genao told him. \u201cYou can play anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Duran, who\u2019s played five different positions this season, forgot about it until he took practice reps at catcher and informed his teammates of the nickname. It led to a shirt, which Duran and several teammates wore proudly Sunday morning, and an accurate assessment at that. The 26-year-old has slashed .293\/.347\/.457 this season as both a utility player and long-term fill-in at second base or shortstop. He\u2019s on the AL All-Star ballot at second base and leads all players listed at that position with 1.6 WAR<\/a>, but he\u2019s also generated 0.9 WAR at shortstop, 0.1 WAR at right field and 0.1 WAR at left field and stepped into significant offensive and defensive roles<\/a> with Seager, Langford and second baseman Josh Smith sidelined for extended periods of time.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe has been the solution to different places on the field, different spots in the lineup, righties, lefties,\u201d Schumaker said. \u201cHe actually has been the solution in many, many ways.\u201d<\/p>\n And, for the record, Schumaker is a fan of Duran\u2019s confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI love it,\u201d Schumaker said. \u201cThat\u2019s what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n How Jacob deGrom and the Rangers solved their first-inning issues<\/p>\n Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Degrom delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field on Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Arlington.<\/p>\n Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n On the topic of solutions, it appears that the Rangers and their rotation have quelled one issue that\u2019s dragged them down this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Rangers posted a league-worst 7.13 ERA in the first inning of games through May 25 and had allowed a league-high 17 home runs through that date<\/a>. That, paired with an inconsistent offense, often doomed games from the start. Even the staff\u2019s co-aces weren\u2019t immune to the affliction as\u00a0deGrom and right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi had combined to allow a dozen of those early home runs.\u00a0<\/p>\n But, in nearly two weeks of games since then, the Rangers have outscored opponents 20-5 in the first inning of games and posted a far more manageable 4.09 ERA in those frames. The offense\u2019s ability to score early allows the rotation to pitch more freely. The rotation\u2019s ability to post early shutdown innings allows the offense to capitalize on their momentum. It\u2019s a successful cycle, and in Sunday\u2019s win, in which second baseman Justin Foscue hit a two-run home run in the first inning and deGrom posted six scoreless frames, the proof of success is evident.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at what they\u2019re hitting, I wouldn\u2019t say you\u2019re grooving the first pitch of the game. You\u2019re not trying to, but I looked at the [home runs] I\u2019ve given up and they have been right down the middle,\u201d said deGrom, who has not allowed a first-inning run in his last three starts. \u201cIt\u2019s trying to throw a perfect pitch to start the game knowing that these guys are swinging. It\u2019s really bear down, almost throw it like it\u2019s a two-strike pitch, make it a pitcher\u2019s pitch and not ‘here it is over the plate’ where you can just try to sell out to a\u00a0fastball and hit it over the fence.\u201d<\/p>\n Did you realize that Josh Jung has been\u00a0this\u00a0consistent?<\/p>\n Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field on Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Arlington.<\/p>\n Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n There\u2019s a number (or, maybe, numbers) of ways to quantify how well Jung has performed this season. There\u2019s his .310 batting average that leads all AL third basemen. There\u2019s his 1.7 WAR that leads the Rangers. There\u2019s his 15.3% strikeout rate that is nearly a 10% improvement from last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s also the consistency aspect of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Jung has recorded more multi-hit games (21) than zero-hit games (12) since April 1 and has hit .341 in that span. His batting average has not dropped below .290 since April 17 and he\u2019s had four different streaks of at least five consecutive games with a hit. He\u2019s pulled 42.6% of his batted balls but has still hit more than half of them up the middle or the opposite way. His .306 batting average with two strikes is only seven percentage points lower than his batting average in all counts. It\u2019s given the Rangers a rock-steady performer while some in the lineup have remained up and down (like first baseman Jake Burger)<\/a> and while others have missed significant time (like Seager, Langford and Smith).\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just kind of a complete hitter right now,\u201d Schumaker said. \u201cHe\u2019s just doing whatever is kind of asked of him right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Wyatt Langford left a mark (and a good memory)<\/p>\n Langford, in his third game since he was activated off the injured list, lined his first big league home run in more than a month and a half into the left field seats at 111.3 mph. If you don\u2019t believe that\u2019s a hard-hit ball, then, well, ask the fan whose chest wore the brunt of the impact.<\/p>\n The 24-year-old\u2019s home run ricocheted off a fan and back into the gap between the stands and the left field wall. He initially thought that the ball just bounced off the seats until\u00a0Schumaker pulled him aside in the dugout and said \u201chey, you should probably give that guy a ball or something, I think you got him pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n The fans are okay!<\/p>\n Sebastian and Kenny Yu were the two fans on the wrong side of Wyatt Langford\u2019s home run – it was a 111mph laser off the bat. <\/p>\n Wyatt brought a baseball as a peace offering that says, \u201csorry for hitting you.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/5GmFq3z0Pj<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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