What We Learned from Rangers Season-Opening Series Win over Phillies

As it turns out, those signs of life in the ninth inning of Thursday’s season opener were a sign of things to come for the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers wrapped up a series win over the Philadelphia Phillies with an 8-2 win on Sunday. For the first time this season a Rangers starter claimed a victory, as left-hander MacKenzie Gore (1-0) pitched 5.1 innings and gave up just two hits and two runs. He had more than enough back-up as Brandon Nimmo and Andrew McCutchen each homered.

Having to scratch starter Jacob deGrom didn’t set the Rangers back on Saturday. The bullpen? Well early issues leapt to the forefront.

Here are three things we learned.

An Offensive Big Four

2 Games, 2 Homers 🍔 🍔 @1053thefan x #AllForTX pic.twitter.com/o8B0wQWJ5U
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 28, 2026

The Rangers opted to adjust its lineup for 2026 with the trade for Brandon Nimmo. That required giving up Marcus Semien. Texas manager Skip Schumaker also hinted heavily by midway through spring training that he had his top four hitters in place — Nimmo, Wyatt Langford, Corey Seager and Jake Burger.

They batted in that order all three games. Here’s how they slashed:

Nimmo: .333/.429/.583 with one home run and two RBI.

Langford: .071/.071/.071.

Seager: .364/.429/.636 with one home run and two RBI.

Burger: .462/.462/.923 with two home runs and four RBI.

It’s a small sample, but it speaks volumes for what this lineup could be at the top, especially the second or third time through the order. Langford had a bad weekend, but he did score the one time he got on base.

It wasn’t all perfect. Burger struck out a team-high seven times and didn’t draw a walk. The four drew a combined three walks. The home runs were their only extra-base hits.

But it was a promising start against three quality pitchers in the Phillies rotation.

Andrew McCutchen, Hitting Machine

CUTCH!

Andrew McCutchen sends a frozen rope into the seats for his first home run of the season 💪 pic.twitter.com/UpMFfvFIuM
— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2026

The Rangers rolled the dice that Andrew McCutchen had something left when they signed him to a minor-league deal earlier this month. That investment may end up paying off in a big way.

The right-handed DH got off to a great start, taking the start in two games against left-handed pitching and pinch-hitting in another. He slashed .444/.444/1.000 with a home run and four RBI. He also had two doubles. He only struck out twice but didn’t draw a walk.

McCutchen also had a clutch hit in the 10th inning that drove in a run and ended up being the margin of victory in that game.

He proved that at 39 years old he still has it. Now, he must prove he can sustain it. That’s the biggest part of the equation. The Rangers need his bat in August and September as much as they do in March.

The Closing Adventure

Texas Rangers pitcher Robert Garcia throws a baseball. — Texas Rangers pitcher Robert Garcia. | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The Rangers have opted to let Robert Garcia and Chris Martin close games to start the season. The first experiment on Saturday was a failure.

Garcia got the first two hitters he faced and then lost control. He gave up a single and then a walk before Schumaker brought in Martin. While the 39-year-old has high-leverage experience, he only has 16 career saves. He didn’t get No. 17, though part of that wasn’t on him. Burger dropped a pop-up in foul territory by former Rangers star Adolis Garcia that would have ended the game. Garcia then doubled home a run to make it 3-1.

Martin still had a chance to get out of it and got ahead of Brandon Marsh before he allowed a two RBI single to tie the game.

Tyler Alexander had a two-run lead in the 10th, and his command was a bit shaky, too. But he got out of it allowing only one run to get his first save.

One game isn’t a complete picture of what could be. Garcia has undeniably good stuff but control and efficiency has been his issue. Martin is probably not the long-term answer but may be the right guy in a pinch. Neither was the answer on Saturday.

Texas had one of the worse save conversion rates in baseball last year. Questions still linger after one series.