Of course, the Rangers hit a brick wall the moment they get back to .500. Of course, Jacob deGrom follows one of the best starts of his career with possibly the worst. 

That’s the recipe for mediocre, and the Rangers are the best chef of average in town.

Last week, against Washington, which boasted the best offense in baseball, deGrom struck out ten, allowing no runs on only one hit and one walk. He was brilliant.

But mediocrity requires answering brilliant with what deGrom did last night.

The first five White Sox hitters reached before he got his first out, a pop up. It was only 2-0 at the time. Then a double scored two more. And a single, two more again.

When it was all said and done, the game was done. He gave up six runs in the first inning. Five hits, two walks, about 40 pitches. 

His final line: 3.2 innings pitched, eight earned runs, six hits, five walks. DeGrom’s ERA skyrocketed from 3.77 to 4.21, putting him on par with the rest of the Rangers rotation.

After thumping the White Sox 11-2 on Monday, the White Sox turned around and thumped the Rangers 11-7. 

Just as mediocrity calls for. 

*****