Before their matchup against the Houston Astros for the American League Championship Series, the Texas Rangers were cruising in the 2023 postseason.
They swept the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card round, and then they did the same with the AL East champions, the Baltimore Orioles, in the Division Series.
After winning the first two against the Astros, they lost three straight and then won Game 6, which leads us to Game 7 on Monday night.
It’s fair to say the Rangers finally found some opposition in the Astros, and you can tell their pitching staff is talented because Houston managed to shut down one of Texas’ hitting stars.
Marcus Semien went 2-for-3 with a run and two walks in Sunday’s Game 6.
That’s a very good game, right?
Well, even after his excellent weekend performance, he has a mediocre .505 OPS, a .208 batting average, and no extra-base hits in six ALCS contests.
“The Rangers needed Marcus Semien to find it. He has reached base as many times tonight as he had the first five games of the series combined,” MLB reporter Rowan Kavner tweeted.
The Rangers needed Marcus Semien to find it. He has has reached base as many times tonight as he had the first five games of the series combined.
— Rowan Kavner (@RowanKavner) October 23, 2023
Semien reached base four times on Sunday.
In the first five games of the series, he reached base a grand total of four times.
In the regular season, Semien was the catalyst of the Rangers’ formidable offense.
He had a .826 OPS, with 29 home runs, 100 RBI, 40 doubles, four triples, and 122 runs scored.
He was a dynamo, a spark-plug at the top of the Rangers lineup.
If he is cold, the offense lacks punch.
If Game 6 is any indication, however, he might be starting to turn things around at the best possible time.
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