Reading Between Lines of Rangers Series Loss to Reigning World Champions

It wasn't the ideal series for the Rangers, but that doesn't mean that plenty of positives didn't come out of this series.

Texas Rangers left fielder Brandon Nimmo (24) reacts towards the dugout after hitting a single during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Anytime a team has to face off with the back-to-back world champs, there is a sour taste in the fans' mouths. It feels safe to say that everyone is sick of watching the Los Angeles Dodgers win, but the Texas Rangers gave them a run for their money.

The Rangers could have won this series, which might be hard to believe, as this was played in California, but a heartbreaker in the opener destroyed the Rangers. After dropping the second game, Texas was facing a sweep, but the underdogs held them off and took the final game in a nail-biter

So, while the Rangers didn't come up with the outcome the ballclub wanted, there were some pieces to this series that shouldn't be overlooked as most will only see the 2-1 loss that Texas took from the Dodgers.

• Brandon Nimmo and Josh Jung are catching fire against the best of the best
• Jacob deGrom is on track for one of the best seasons of his career
• This ballclub can compete with some of the best

Nimmo and Jung in Dodgers Series

Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (6) celebrates after hitting an RBI double during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

If there was any player who looked exceptional swinging a bat throughout this series for the Rangers, it was a pair- Brandon Nimmo and Josh Jung.

Nimmo and Jung combined for 10 total hits throughout this series, with Nimmo as the lead-off man leading the charge. With Nimmo at the beginning and Jung at the bottom, this is a deadly hitting lineup.

deGrom Competing with Some of the Best

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob Degrom (48) pitches against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The one win from this series for the Rangers came with deGrom throwing the first pitch of the game. As the rotation continues to struggle with only MacKenzie Gore as a real threat, seeing deGrom step up is heartwarming.

deGrom made a quality start en route to the Rangers' lone victory this series as he went 6.0 innings and struck out nine.

Rangers Competing with the Best

If anything, the last week demonstrated that the Rangers are more than capable of competing with the top of this division, if not the entire American League. Texas went into this series with a sweep of the Seattle Mariners, who took the division last season.

The Rangers are now 8-7 and set to take on the Athletics who sit tied at the top of the AL West with Texas, so this will be a battle between the best of the division. Based on how the Rangers looked against the Dodgers, it would be hard to imagine they don't take care of the Athletics.

However, it is baseball, so anything can happen at this point.