ARLINGTON -- There were no Rangers hitters in the home clubhouse at Globe Life Field before Texas opened its homestand against the A’s on Monday night.
It’s not a huge shock for the media’s allotted 50 minutes. Players are often in and out with hitters’ or pitchers’ meetings or getting treatment, or anything in between. But to start their seven-game homestand, the Rangers’ hitters had a lengthy meeting that lasted throughout the entire media clubhouse time.
A month into the season, Texas found it necessary to flip the script on its offensive identity.
The Rangers’ 2-1 loss to the A’s represented their fifth in six games. The past four losses have been by one run. Texas hasn’t scored more than three runs since an 8-5 win over the Athletics last Tuesday, the start of the last road trip.
The offense, in short, has been an issue, leaving a pitching staff that has been one of the Majors’ best with little room for error over the first month of the season. Hence, the hitters’ meeting.
“We were mainly just all sitting down and just talking about what we've been going through,” third baseman Josh Jung said. “We're trying to flip the script, turn the page. That's truly all we were talking about. Ultimately, scoring runs is what you want to do as an offense. We want to be a team that just values getting to first base.
“It’s about everybody looking themselves in the mirror and saying, ‘Hey, who I've been over this first month isn't exactly who I want to be,’ and everybody being able to hold each other accountable and have honest conversations.”
When asked jokingly if he was at his wit’s end with the offensive production, manager Bruce Bochy said he’s not quite all the way there yet. But the offense is clearly leaving a lot to be desired -- especially on a night like Monday, when Patrick Corbin and the Rangers’ bullpen limited the A’s to two runs but Texas went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
“We’re trying to find the answer,” Bochy said. “It’s going to take some guys having some quality ABs with men on base. I wish I had a better answer, but it’s just going to take somebody to come through.”
Bochy has said multiple times that he believes this is a much better offense than what it has shown so far.
The Rangers have just five players with an OPS over .700, none of whom has enough plate appearances to qualify for the leaderboard: Wyatt Langford (1.044), who just got off the injured list; utility man Josh Smith (.818); Corey Seager (.813), who is on the IL; Jung (.771), who has also spent time on the IL; and catcher Jonah Heim (.765).
Mainstays in the Bochy-era lineup like Marcus Semien and Adolis García are struggling. New additions like Joc Pederson and Jake Burger are in the same boat.
Everybody is struggling with runners in scoring position, failing to pass the baton and putting the pressure on themselves to do everything all at once.
“It's frustrating,” Jung said. “You see the narrative, you see what's out there. When you allow that to get in, you start making those at-bats bigger than they are. That's when you get the results we've got right now, trying to do too much.
“Trying to hit a five-run homer is freaking impossible. So why am I going up there trying to hit it to the moon? It's just about taking a deep breath, winning pitches and passing the baton to the next guy. It’s not about having to be the hero. … I think we're all on our own journey, but this too shall pass at some point.”
Bochy has tinkered with the lineup more than he ever has in his Rangers tenure. The players are attentive in meetings and understanding of the hitting coaches. Everybody, in theory, should be on the same page.
It’s just not yet clicking.
“We had some situations where we did win tonight,” Jung said. “For us to change the narrative, we have to find those small victories and start building some confidence. The ball will slowly start rolling, and eventually it’ll get bigger and start speeding down the hill.
“We have to look and find the small wins every day. It's hard to do. It's really hard to do, especially when you're frustrated -- personally and collectively as an offense. But if we are able to find the small wins and build some momentum, things are going to take off.”