Could One Inning Jolt The Texas Rangers Out Of Their Offensive Slump?

The Texas Rangers are in the midst of a two-week offensive slump, but they hope Saturday's ninth inning is a sign of things to come.

Apr 18, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Texas Rangers second base Marcus Semien. / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas — In the equivalent of two weeks’ worth of games, the Texas Rangers are batting less than .230.

This isn’t your garden variety slump. In that span, the Rangers’ overall batting average has dropped nearly 20 points.

Manager Bruce Bochy tends to preach patience when it comes to offensive valleys, but the Rangers managed just one hit in the first eight innings against the Cincinnati Reds in Saturday’s 8-4 loss at Globe Life Field.

Then came the flood. In the ninth inning, the Rangers scored four runs on six hits, including back-to-back home runs from Davis Wendzel and Corey Seager.

So, what now? Is that a spike in the midst of an extended slump or a sign that the Rangers offense is finally snapping out of its funk?

Bochy certainly hopes it’s the latter.

“We’ve been sputtering a little bit,” Bochy said. “You know we’ve been hit and miss with the offense. So it’s always good to show a lot of life out there and we had some good at-bats.”

Entering Saturday’s game, the Rangers had batted .229 in their previous 13 games, dropping the team batting average from .269 to .250. That's their lowest team average since Opening Day (.235).

Josh Smith is the team’s best hitter by average. He’s batting .304 after a 2-for-4 game against the Reds. He’s now reached base in 15 consecutive games and has reached base in all 22 starts, most of which have come in the place of injured third baseman Josh Jung, who will be out for at least another month with a broken wrist.

But the offense isn’t just sputtering. It’s nowhere near where it was to start the season.

In their first 14 games, they scored 79 runs and scored five or more runs in eight games. In the past 14, they’ve scored 49 and have scored five or more runs only four times.

There is no single culprit. Ezequiel Duran and Leody Taveras are producing well below where they were at this time last season. Both are batting below .225. Evan Carter has hit five home runs but is batting .213.

Some productive players are having sluggish homestands, such as Marcus Semien and Adolis García, who had Saturday off. Both are batting below .200 this week.

Then there is Corey Seager, who is still working his way back from offseason hernia surgery. His homer on Saturday was just his second this season, and he's only batting .247.

Bochy isn’t worried about Seager. The World Series MVP has a proven track record.

Semien said it starts with him and Seager. Semien isn't worried either. When they get on track, everyone else will follow.

“Corey and I want to set the table for the power hitters in the middle, and if we can get on base and they can produce like we know they can, we’ll be fine,” he said.