All signs point to an improvement in pitching as the main culprit for the Rangers' recent surge. Colby Lewis (above) pitched nine innings of two hit baseball Saturday. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)Eight straight games and eight straight victories for the Texas Rangers as the entire pitching staff has come together to play some great baseball. The Rangers haven't allowed more than four runs (twice) during the streak and have allowed an average of 2.75 runs per game. To take it further, Texas has lost only one out of it's past 12 games, a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on June 11 - the only game in this span where Texas has allowed more than four runs.
While many of these games have come against inept offenses (Seattle), lowly teams (Houston), and away from the Ballpark in Arlington (nine of 12); it's still an encouraging sign that these pitchers are able to put together quality innings - regardless of other factors. Maybe this is a sign that the rough patch this staff went through last month was just an aberration and these guys are ready to prove their collective worth - or it is possible that Texas could just be beating up on the cellar dwellers of baseball.
We certainly won't find out for a while as Texas plays the Pittsburgh Pirates (25-44) and the Houston Astros (26-44) for the next six days before facing a real challenge when they travel to Cali to take the L.A. Angels.
Here are some more interesting stats on Rangers' pitching in the month of June from Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
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