The play of the Texas Rangers’ bullpen this year had been underwhelming to say the least. The bullpen has preformed horrendously this season, not being able to hold games for the closer and not being able to shut down the opposition. One of the biggest under-performers this season is Neftali Feliz, who was supposed to a shut-down closer but has blown three saves. In nine of 11 games the bullpen has allowed at least one run, and collectively has a 6.27 ERA. During the month of May alone the bullpen has given up 14 home runs, a huge concern. The Rangers have tried to right the ship, looking all over the place to find someone who can give them at least one scoreless inning.
Their bullpen has been a constant carousel of players from the minors just trying to make an impact. With all the arms that they are trying you would think it’s Spring Training again.
So what does this mean for the Rangers? Currently Texas are 16-22, and sit 8.5 games back of the Houston Astros in the AL West. They need to figure this bullpen situation out now if they want to have any shot at making a run at the division. They will get a potentially powerful bat back in the line-up soon in Josh Hamilton, but that doesn’t change the need for better relievers. Sunday was a step in the right direction in a 5-1 win over the Cleveland Indians. In this game they took a bold approach to the bullpen, as they did away with roles. And it worked! They pitched four scoreless innings.
Now that’s not going to turn the season around, but it’s a positive step. Doing that takes all the pressure off of the pitchers who think they can only fit one mold. The team has made it a more competitive environment, making every person fight for their jobs and roster spots. We will have to wait and see if the bullpen can keep this going and improve the team’s overall chances to turn around what’s so far been a disappointing season.
James McGowan is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from James, check out his archive or follow him @jmc3310.