Rangers Monday Fastball: What We Learned, What It Means Two Weeks Into Season

The Texas Rangers are nine games into their 2026 season and enter Monday’s game with the Seattle Mariners with a 4-5 record.

The Rangers have been riding wild swings. After losing on opening day, the Rangers won four straight games and then lost four straight games. So, as they enter this next series, they’re trying to get back on a new winnings streak.

Three Numbers that Matter

Texas Rangers pitcher Robert Garcia throws a baseball. — Texas Rangers pitcher Robert Garcia. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Runners in Scoring Position: The Rangers are 12-for-43 with runners in scoring position with runners in scoring position in its four wins. The Rangers are 6-for-23 with runners in scoring position in its five losses. The Rangers are only hitting marginally better with RISP in wins (.218) than in losses (.206) but have gotten 20 more chances in four wins than in five losses.

Slash Line of .389/.463/.556: That’s the slash for new leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo through nine games. He’s reached safely in all nine games and has the eighth-best on-base percentage in the American League.

Pitching Line: 1-2, nine appearances, 11 hits, eight runs, five earned runs, six strikeouts, four walks, one blown save: The combined numbers for co-closers Robert Garcia and Chris Martin through nine games.

What it means? The Rangers are back to struggling with runners in scoring position. Nimmo is already paying off in the way Texas hoped when it made the trade The co-closer situation is a work in progress. Martin and Garcia each lost a tie game during the Reds series and their effectiveness in leverage bears monitoring the next few weeks.

Bullpen Usage

Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka and pitcher Tyler Alexander shake hands. — Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka and pitcher Tyler Alexander celebrate after a win. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Rangers have already used four relievers five times in nine games — Tyler Alexander, Jalen Beeks, Martin and Cole Winn. Alexander has converted two saves in two chances. He has a 1.80 ERA, while Beeks and Winn both have not allowed an earned run. Martin’s ERA is 9.00. Carter Baumler, Garcia, Jakob Junis and Jacob Latz have made four appearances each, though Latz started one game.

Baumler is on the injured list and Luis Curvelo was called up on Sunday. It was the first change to the bullpen since opening day. Texas’ bullpen ERA is the third-best in baseball behind the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.

What It Means: The bullpen is working, for the most part. Alexander has been the best reliever in save situations, even though he only had one career save before this season. He may start getting more chances. Most of the relievers have been incredibly effective in non-leverage situations.

Skip Schumaker on the Starting Rotation

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker greets Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona. | Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images

“The starting pitching is as good as there is in the league,” he said on Sunday. I really feel that way. I thought that in spring training. Right after we acquired [MacKenzie] Gore and then what Rock [Kumar Rocker] did yesterday, that was a huge step for him and for what this rotation could look like. I think Jack [Leiter] and Rock can get better, which is scary. Same with Gore. Then you have the two veterans [Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi] that are trying to get better No one is satisfied in this rotation.”

The starting rotation has a 4.84 ERA so far this season. Eovaldi, who was the opening day starter, is the only one that has allowed more than 10 earned runs after two starts.

What it Means: The ERA is not indicative of how well most of the rotation has pitched. The fact that Eovaldi is off to the worst start of the five says something about the improvement of Leiter and Rocker, along with the emergence of Gore.

An Early Meaningful Series

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh looks on after an at-bat. — Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. | William Liang-Imagn Images

The Rangers host the Mariners for three games starting on Monday and it’s an early test to see where Texas fits in the division. Texas is only 1.5 games back of front-running Houston, but no team has run away with the division early on. Seattle has struggled at the plate but still has a rotation that is equal to what Texas can put on the field.

What it Means: The Rangers get their first real reading off a division opponent. Winning the series would be a great way to prove to themselves and the rest of the division that they’re in position to contend.