Tony Beasley Tweaks Stabilize Rangers Lineup
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Those first six hitters in the Texas Rangers batting order have, largely, been the same six hitters since interim manager Tony Beasley took over more than a week ago.
That’s the way Beasley likes it. And it’s working.
In the last nine games, the Rangers' top six places in the batting order haven’t wavered, except on days that catcher Jonah Heim doesn’t start. Beasley’s lineup since Aug. 17 has seen Marcus Semien lead off, followed by Corey Seager, Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis García, Heim and Leody Taveras.
When Heim is off, the Rangers have used his backup, Meibrys Viloria, or Brad Miller.
How is it going?
The Rangers are 6-3, have put up at least 10 runs twice, have won three one-run games and have seen individual players gather momentum, most notably Lowe and García.
Beasley believes the consistency of the lineup will pay off with success the remainder of the season.
“Those guys stabilize us,” Beasley said after Friday’s 7-6 win over Detroit. “That’s kept things together for us. They’ve been consistent for the most part and I like where they are. Nate is on another level right now.”
Lowe is closing on perhaps being the Rangers’ first .300 hitter for a season since Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre both did it in 2016. Since Aug. 17, he hasn’t had a day off from the batting order and has hit No. 3. In that small sample, Lowe is hitting .368 with five home runs and 14 RBI. During the last road trip he reached 20 home runs, making him the fourth Ranger to do that in 2022 and adding to his career high for long balls.
Lowe, who had a solo home run in the first inning Friday, appreciates the consistency.
“When you look at a lot of playoff teams, you have that first five or six guys that play every day and the rest of the order you match them up,” Lowe said. “To have a group that gets in a rhythm and rolls together, it’s nice. It gives you confidence.”
Before Beasley took over, Lowe often moved around in the lineup. In the six games before the managerial change, Lowe hit in the third, fourth and fifth spots under former manager Chris Woodward.
Beasley has positioned Lowe, a left-hander, at the third spot. Behind him is García, a right-hander who has also benefited from this minor adjustment. In the six games before the managerial chance, García hit third or fourth. He hit third in Beasley’s first two games. But on Aug. 17, Beasley moved García to the clean-up spot.
Since then, Garcia has hit .275 with a homer and five RBI. He’s also riding a 22-game hitting streak, tied for the seventh-longest in team history, and is the first 20-home run, 20-stolen-base and 20-game hitting streak player for the Rangers since Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez did it in 1999.
Heim, a switch-hitter, moved around plenty in the order all season as he’s put together a career year offensively. In fact, in the half-dozen games leading up to the managerial chance, he hit clean-up twice and fifth twice. Now firmly the No. 5 hitter, he benefits if teams decide to pitch around García, and his ability to hit from both sides means opposing managers are limited in ways to match up with him.
Taveras is, in essence, a second leadoff hitter at No. 6, able to spark offense once he gets on base.
He’s hitting .294 since his call-up in June, and in the nine games since Beasley’s lineup changes he’s hit .258. But he’s also scored five runs.
Semien and Seager have been in their places basically all season. But the move to a consistent lineup in the next four spots is part of the reason the Rangers are where they are more than a week after the managerial change.
“They’re dangerous guys and they can do it at any time,” Beasley said. “It adds pressure for opposing pitches. You have to face them back-to-back.”
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
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