Concern Level Is High for the Texas Rangers Right Now

When you're 55 games into yet another baseball season with a 4.5-game lead in your division, there's not much to be concerned about.

That would be the case for any team in the Majors, except for the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers dropped their fifth game out of their last six on Monday in another humiliating defeat, this time courtesy of the division rival Oakland A's by a final count of 12-1, dropping their record to 32-23 on the year.

The good news for Texas is that the Los Angeles Angels, despite winning two out of three over Texas this past weekend, still can't find the consistency within their lineup where they can gain some ground on the Rangers for the top spot in the AL West.

But if you're the Rangers right now, there's no question that the concern level is as high as the temperature on a hot summer day in Arlington.

Texas has gone from being one of the most dominant teams in the league, with a powerful offense and consistent pitching, to quickly looking like a joke for the last six games. Because in those games, the Rangers have been outscored by their AL West rivals by a count of 53-23.

You would like to think that Texas is the team with the 53 runs.

There is no reason to think the main problem is Ron Washington, and anybody would be a fool to believe that his managing is the reason why this team hasn't been playing to the level they are capable of.

It's usually around this time of year where we see this kind of slump from the Rangers, to some degree. What happens is that the star pitchers throw good games on the mound, but the offense can't find the formula to pick it up.

Yu Darvish and Matt Harrison have been more than outstanding to this point in the season (as they've both compiled records of 7-3), especially Harrison, who has responded to criticism in the best way possible.

But then you look at the rest of the rotation and your mind is just baffled.

Derek Holland was projected to be one of the best pitchers, if not the ace, on this pitching staff, and he has played subpar at best, putting up a 4-4 mark with an ERA of 5.11, showing as the days go by that maybe that contract extension he received was premature.

Colby Lewis is hovering around the .500 mark that most expected him to be at in June, and it doesn't help when Neftali Feliz is on the disabled list and Scott Feldman is allowing an absurd amount of runs when he takes the mound.

That's just the problems with the starting rotation. The lineup hasn't been any better for Texas as of late, especially the middle of the lineup that is perhaps the most dangerous in all of baseball.

Entering the May 27 game against the Toronto Blue Jays, MVP candidate Josh Hamilton was batting .368 for the season. In the last six games, Hamilton has batted .250, going 6-for-24 from the plate with only one home run, while his season average has dropped by almost 20 points.

Adrian Beltre hasn't been getting anything done at the plate either, batting just .200 in the last six games at 5-for-25. And even Nelson Cruz has only recorded four hits in six games despite hitting that monster home run against the Angels on Sunday.

The only bright spot on the offense in these last six games has been Mike Napoli, who seems to be finally finding his groove with the bat. Napoli has increased his batting average by 17 points—up to .253 for the year—and has batted over .300 in the team's dreadful stretch.

The problem is that Texas isn't driving in runs, and it's a scary sight to witness.

One can only wonder what's truly happening inside the Rangers' clubhouse right now. As they prepare for the second game in the four-game series against Oakland tonight, they need to find some answers to every problem they have, starting with Holland on the mound.

It would be facile to say that shaving the infamous mustache is the reason why Holland is struggling, but he'd better start stringing some wins together. The pitching rotation is only as dominant when each starter is producing at a high level, and when Holland is pitching well, this team is hard to beat.

It's a good thing that it'll be only a matter of time before Roy Oswalt enters the fray and starts pitching for Texas, because they need help more than ever right now. 

And it doesn't help that they travel to San Francisco after the Oakland series to take on a Giants team that has caught fire by winning four in a row, then head back home to face a dangerous Diamondbacks squad and the Houston Astros.

But if the Rangers can't win this series against Oakland, and they head to San Francisco devoid of momentum, then perhaps it's time to call another players-only meeting.