As expected, the Rangers follow up a loss with a win to go one game over .500, and tie the Athletics for first place in the A.L. West.

The only saving grace for the Rangers inability to string together any kind of winning streak is that no team in this division has been able to yet.

Yes, one could say they are squandering a golden opportunity. But one could also say they are making the best of their mediocrity.

As far as squandering a golden opportunity, that happened n the offseason when ownership cut the payroll and made them build with cheaper materials. The Rangers did this to themselves.

But Seattle hasn’t been able to find any sort of consistency, either. And Houston is old and tired and hurt. Los Angeles is Los Angeles, meaning never to be taken seriously as a contender. 

Plenty of teams with high expectations are failing. Boston just fired its manager and almost its entire coaching staff after a 10-17 start. Toronto nearly won the World Series last year. They’re 11-15. Kansas City was predicted to contend in the Central. They’re 10-17. The New York Mets just famously ended a twelve-game losing streak, but worse than the Mets are the Phillies. Both New York and Philadelphia were picked to top the East. The division that has historically been the weakest, the N.L. Central, is parading around with every team at .500 or above. The mighty Brewers are in last.

Los Angeles isn’t even in first in the N.L. West. San Diego is. But that’s just temporary until the Dodgers get into the World Series.

The point is, baseball is unpredictable. Teams that were expected to do well, often don’t. The only things you can count on, it seems, are the Rangers treading water and MacKenzie Gore going five innings.

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