Three Takeaways After Texas Rangers’ Impressive Sweep of Los Angeles Angels

The Texas Rangers returned home to take on the Los Angeles Angels and flipped the script after being swept last weekend.

Apr 17, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kumar Rocker (80) delivers a pitch to the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Globe Life Field. | Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers have been great at home this season, and that trend continued as they swept the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.

Texas (12-7) won all three games, and while none of them were blowouts, the Rangers saw some life from their bats.

Plus, manager Bruce Bochy tied Dusty Baker for seventh all-time in victories.

Getting wins is always big. Getting a sweep after a 1-5 road trip may be more meaningful.

Here are three takeaways on the series.

Rocker Rocks the Angels

Kumar Rocker was the one starting pitcher that really hadn’t a great game thus far this season. He changed that on Thursday, and in doing so may have made the organization’s job harder when it comes to the final rotation spot.

Rocker won his first MLB game, threw seven innings for the first time and struck out eight Angels. He also walked none.

Thursday was without question his best start. He had command of his pitches, and his slider was particularly nasty. He struck out Mike Trout twice. The fact that a veteran like him couldn’t take advantage of a rookie says a lot.

Now, can he do it again? You want to see rookies build on success. Jack Leiter did it with his first two starts this year and he could come off the injured list this weekend.

If he is activated, what happens next? Rocker just made the conversation more interesting.

The Offense Perks Up

Corey Seager’s massive series is going to get the headlines and deservedly so. He went 7-for-10 with a home run and three RBI.

But this whole offense got going. On Tuesday, Texas crafted the go-ahead run on a Leody Taveras bunt single, stolen base, advanced to third on an error and scored on a long sacrifice fly by Marcus Semien in a 4-0 win. On Wednesday, Seager and Jake Burger drove in all the runs in the third inning of a 3-1 win.

On Thursday, Garcia and Seager both homered and Taveras drove in two runs.

The real key here is that most of the lineup contributed. The Rangers had 30 hits for the series, and 11 hits in two of the three games.

The task will be harder against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the Rangers love hitting at home and this should be good carryover for the weekend.

A True Homefield Advantage

The Rangers have won nine of their first 10 games at home. That ties the record set by the 1996 Texas Rangers. Those Rangers won the AL West for the first time.

Winning at home is a must to reach the playoffs. Teams want to win two out of every three at home and hold their own on the road. Do that, and you’re probably winning the division.

The Rangers aren’t firing on all cylinders yet. But, at home, this team figures out a way to get it done. That’s the important thing with the Dodgers hitting town.