Even though the Rangers are 4-1 and seeming clicking on all cylinders, there are still a few hitters who have yet to get it going. 

Josh Jung is 0-for-17. He got a night off. Joc Pederson was 0-for-4. He got a start and went 0-for-4. And Wyatt Langford was 2-for-19 heading into last night’s game against Baltimore.

Jung and Pederson are carrying over their slumps from last year. With Jung, it’s all the way from the second half of 2023. 

Langford, on the other hand, had a good but not stellar 2025, showing signs of turning into the monster hitter everyone predicts he will be. 

So, his struggles early this season—and five games in truly is early—have been a bit more surprising. With Langford, you just know it’s a matter of time. With Jung and Pederson, you’re not so sure.

That matter of time arrived last night for Wyatt. He went 2-for-5 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored. His triple in the fifth broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Rangers on their way to an 8-5 victory over the Orioles, winning the first two of three. 

If the Rangers can get Wyatt going, the top of the lineup will be daunting with Nimmo before him and Seager after him. There’s every reason to expect he will get going. 

The same can’t be said for Jung, though. Ezequiel Duran got the start at third instead of Josh. He homered in the third. It’s a sure thing Jung will be back out there tomorrow. And for the foreseeable future. But you have to wonder how long his leash is. Probably longer than Pederson’s, with Andrew McCutchen ready and waiting to take all of Joc’s at-bats and actually do something productive with them.

When you have a lineup of nine guys, not all of them are going to be hitting at once. They go through good streaks and bad streaks. You just hope enough guys are going well until the guys who aren’t figure it out.

At least for one night, Langford joined the hit brigade. 

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