July 18, 2025 • 12 mins
The second half of the season begins today for the Texas Rangers. Can they remain in playoff contention and do they need to buy at the deadline in order to reach their goal?
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds at Midmobile. We're bringing back our
(00:02):
promotion every three month plan for fifteen dollars a month.
Give it a try at midmobile dot com. Slash switch from.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
King five dollars for three months, Plan two only fifty
dollars months required. You cust moer off for firstree months only.
Speaks after three fig bye, nevers be taxicon and feesextrac
semen moble dot com.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
What makes us love our county so fiercely despite all
the summers of hurt? What lifts us back up year
after year after year, What stirs such passion in our
hearts and brings us out in our thousands. It's something
intangible deep in our veins. It's our county, it's our people,
(00:37):
it's in our blood. AIB the toughest, proud sponsors of
the All Islands in your football Championship.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
And so the second half, or the unofficial second half
of the season begins tonight, and we ponder what the
hell's going to happen in the second half of the season.
John Radigan here, Jeff Wilson there, We've got the Queen
Kat over there too, and we're in the DLLs Sports
Studios DLLs Rangers podcast and they play you have to
(01:08):
start the second half or the unofficial second half. The
best team in baseball record wise, the Tigers. But what
can we expect from a team that's one game under
five hundred at this stage.
Speaker 5 (01:22):
Well, I guess you can expect the five and five
road trip, I don't or home stage. Yeah, I mean,
it's it's it's gonna be interesting to see how they
do it. And you know, you see what they've done
with their rotation. They're gonna go with Patrick Corbin and
then the rocker Evaldi instead of you know, Evaldi and
Grom right out of the shoots, and that's by design.
(01:43):
They want these guys to get their rest and try
to keep them as healthy as they can they can be,
And it makes a lot of sense. You know, these
games count obviously, but so do the games against the
A's when de Gram is going to start. So I
just think that they have a strategy with they're pitching
going in. They they are doing this because they still
(02:04):
think they have a chance to need the Grom in
September and October. Uh. But you know, it's it's interesting
these ten this this nine game homestand you know, is
it is it a make or break for for the
trade deadline, And.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
I don't know that it is.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
I mean, if they if they let's say they go
four and five, or let's say they go five and four,
they get back to five hundred, I think they're still
going to be within that you know, very attainable cushion
there more, you know, deficit to get to the last
wildcard spot. And I just think that Chris Young is
not going to give up unless it you know, and
(02:42):
now if the bottom falls out, oh to nine, two
and seven, then maybe he really has to start thinking
about it. But I do think that that these guys,
as things stand right now ahead of this first game tonight,
they're gonna they're they're gonna buy. They're gonna try to
reinforce the team with bullpen help primarily. You know, you
(03:03):
can look at a couple different strategies for maybe starting pitching.
But I think that as as things stand right now,
they are not gonna sell. They're going to try to
make some additions and make the team stronger down the
stretch because again, they continue to believe that they are
a playoff team.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
So last year they were in a similar position. And
they bought. But they they kind of shopped at the
dollar store, right, they weren't. They weren't at Niman Marcus. Right,
they went to the dollar Store and they said, well,
well we bought. Well, hey, look at us, we bought. Yo,
we went to the damn dollar store. Where do they
(03:47):
shop if they buy? Well?
Speaker 5 (03:50):
As as we found out last year and ever, you know,
we know just throughout history, relievers are all over the market. Yeah,
and it's not always the guys who have the saves
and are who are all stars. It's set up guys.
It's veteran guys who are you know, the quote unquote
rental players who are who are going to walk into
(04:10):
free agency after this season. So you're only getting the
two months. You're not getting in no no strings attached
or no no guarantees that the guy stays with the team.
And I mean, I you know, I don't even the
list is so long, right, you know, every team has
them and every every seller has them. And so you
know what, what do the Rangers need though? In the bullpen?
(04:34):
They need somebody who can strike a guy out. They
need somebody who can come in and you know, you
need to strike out and you get a strikeout, and
the know, those those guys, a lot of teams are
going to want them, so there's gonna be some competition
for him. But you know, and do you do they
want to go ahead and address closer? Is this a
good time to do it? And all of these all
(04:56):
these questions will will the answer will be clear when
you see who they're getting. You know, the Rangers, we
continue to think, are pressed against the luxury tax threshold
just under it. They don't have a lot of wiggle
room to play with when you're adding salary. So you know,
if you think, if you think they're going to add
(05:16):
one of these closers who might be available, it's like,
well maybe, but but what are they what about the money?
And so they're going to have to get away, you know,
figure out a way to get creative, maybe trade dollars
for dollars, that type of thing. But relievers who can
strike guys out, I think is at the top of
(05:38):
the list.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Yeah, it's a pressing need. There's no doubt about that.
The bullpen has the third best era in baseball, the
starting rotation has the best era in baseball, and yet
you just don't feel one hundred percent confident in that
bullpen as of right now. So that there's at forty
eight and forty nine, Jeff, there are sixty five games
(06:01):
left to me, I think the Rangers need to go
forty and twenty five, get to eighty eight wins and
take your chances. Likely as the Astros sit there at
fifty six, Likely that's not going to be enough to
win the division, but it could be. And I would
(06:23):
think eighty eight does get them in to one of
the wildcard spots.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
I would think so too. You kind of look at
the teams who are who are competing for the wildcard spot,
and you know, there's not a sound like you're like,
oh god, we're never going to catch them. You know,
these aren't great teams, you know, and I guess if
you're a wildcard team, you're not a great team. But
the point being, you know, I don't know that any
(06:50):
of these wildcards contenders is going to go on a
run and end up with ninety two wins, you know.
So yeah, eighty eighty eight is a good number. And
you know it's kind of like get in the clubhouse,
like on a Sunday, you know, get in at ten
under and see what happens. Yeah, you know, I think
the Rangers can do it. I mean, I know, you know,
(07:12):
we've seen it be done many times in the past.
We remember their second half not that long ago, ten
years ago, I guess in twenty fifteen. So there's there's
semi recent history with the Rangers, but there's history all
over baseball, recent history of teams that have kind of
lagged and lagged and lagged and then all of a
sudden they caught fire. You know, there's a Braves team
(07:33):
that did it, and the twenty two Braves did it.
The Tigers last year they sold their players to the Rangers. Yeah,
that's where the Rangers. Yeah, that's that's the dollar storellore
the Detroit Dollar Store, and all of a sudden, all
of a sudden, the Tigers are in the playoffs and
making noise. So there there's runs in every team. And
(07:55):
I think that, you know, the Rangers have a run
in them. And the more thing is that they believe
they have a run in them. And now they've believed
that all year. But it's starting to look like maybe
that's that's starting to materialize.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Sure, and you look at you know, forty and twenty
five and you think there's no chance. But just two
years ago, we know they started the season at forty
and twenty right, right, So it's not out of the question.
They don't even have to be as good as they
were at the start of the season in twenty three
(08:30):
in order to achieve that goal of eighty eight wins.
Speaker 5 (08:33):
Yeah, and you know, you kind of you look at
how things are lining up, the rotation with the Gram
and Valdi in it. Yeah, gosh, that's you're not going
to lose a series if those two guys are no
are pitching it, or you're very unlikely to lose a
series if they're pitching it. The offense, which we've talked about,
has been one of the best in baseball since June
(08:55):
the twenty fourth, So that's that's almost a month. Yeah,
that's almost a month of really good offense. You know,
Simmy has been really really good. Seeker has been fantastic.
You know, even Adules has been really good. And and
and in theory, they're gonna get fortifications from within their system.
Josh Young at some point is expected to be back. Sure,
(09:17):
Jock Peterson is going to coffee the injured list, and
he again can't be any worse.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Than he was.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
And then you still have John Gray and Josh Sports.
So that's four guys who you know, could could definitely
help the club. I think that bullpen wise, in the
short term, I wouldn't be surprised, you know, if if
cole Wynn is back very very soon, his minimum stay
on option has expired, so he could come back at will.
(09:43):
And then we have the Rowty to te Les Talise
t Lez however you want to say, and and I
don't know if if that is just a temporary thing
until Jake Burger is back, or if you know, when
when uh Or is healthy, if if maybe old Rowdy
stays around a little.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Bit, sure, Yeah, Well, to me, the result sort of
the conclusion from all this, Jeff, is that it's possible
for the Rangers to get back in this thing, to
go forty in twenty five, to be a playoff team.
The question is probable?
Speaker 5 (10:24):
Yeah, I don't know. I mean, we have we have
nearly one hundred games of evidence that suggests that this
isn't going to happen, right, And you're kind of when
you're when you're you know, thinking of how it is
going to happen, talking about a you know a record performance.
You know a club you're in club history. You know
(10:45):
how many forty and twenty stretches have there been in
this team's history, right, you know, and you're you're grasping
it things from a few years ago in the other
league or in another division, and it's you know, it's
definitely not where you want to be. And and hope
is never a good strategy. So, you know, there's a
lot of evidence that suggests that the Rangers are going
(11:07):
to finish right about where they are.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Unfortunately that's probably the truth. But when they do that,
we will be there every step of the way. We're
here every day right around one o'clock Monday through Friday
with the DLS Rangers Podcast. We'll see you then.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds at Midmobile. We're bringing back our
promotion every three month plan for fifteen dollars a month.
Give it a try at midmobile dot com. Slash switch from.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
King a fore five dollars for three months plan only,
fife dollars month required to do. Cutmer off for firstree months
only speaks after three five. Good Bye to neverk by
taxes and feesextrac semen Moble dot.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Com What makes us love our county so fiercely despite
all the summers of hurt. What lifts us back up
year after year after year, What stirs such passion in
our hearts and brings us out in our thousands. It's
something intangible, deep in our veins. It's our county, it's
(12:01):
our people, it's in our blood. AIB the toughest proud
sponsors of the All Irelandsenior Football Championship.
Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds at Midmobile. We're bringing back our
(00:02):
promotion every three month plan for fifteen dollars a month.
Give it a try at midmobile dot com. Slash switch from.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
King five dollars for three months, Plan two only fifty
dollars months required. You cust moer off for firstree months only.
Speaks after three fig bye, nevers be taxicon and feesextrac
semen moble dot com.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
What makes us love our county so fiercely despite all
the summers of hurt? What lifts us back up year
after year after year, What stirs such passion in our
hearts and brings us out in our thousands. It's something
intangible deep in our veins. It's our county, it's our people,
(00:37):
it's in our blood. AIB the toughest, proud sponsors of
the All Islands in your football Championship.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
And so the second half, or the unofficial second half
of the season begins tonight, and we ponder what the
hell's going to happen in the second half of the season.
John Radigan here, Jeff Wilson there, We've got the Queen
Kat over there too, and we're in the DLLs Sports
Studios DLLs Rangers podcast and they play you have to
(01:08):
start the second half or the unofficial second half. The
best team in baseball record wise, the Tigers. But what
can we expect from a team that's one game under
five hundred at this stage.
Speaker 5 (01:22):
Well, I guess you can expect the five and five
road trip, I don't or home stage. Yeah, I mean,
it's it's it's gonna be interesting to see how they
do it. And you know, you see what they've done
with their rotation. They're gonna go with Patrick Corbin and
then the rocker Evaldi instead of you know, Evaldi and
Grom right out of the shoots, and that's by design.
(01:43):
They want these guys to get their rest and try
to keep them as healthy as they can they can be,
And it makes a lot of sense. You know, these
games count obviously, but so do the games against the
A's when de Gram is going to start. So I
just think that they have a strategy with they're pitching
going in. They they are doing this because they still
(02:04):
think they have a chance to need the Grom in
September and October. Uh. But you know, it's it's interesting
these ten this this nine game homestand you know, is
it is it a make or break for for the
trade deadline, And.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
I don't know that it is.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
I mean, if they if they let's say they go
four and five, or let's say they go five and four,
they get back to five hundred, I think they're still
going to be within that you know, very attainable cushion
there more, you know, deficit to get to the last
wildcard spot. And I just think that Chris Young is
not going to give up unless it you know, and
(02:42):
now if the bottom falls out, oh to nine, two
and seven, then maybe he really has to start thinking
about it. But I do think that that these guys,
as things stand right now ahead of this first game tonight,
they're gonna they're they're gonna buy. They're gonna try to
reinforce the team with bullpen help primarily. You know, you
(03:03):
can look at a couple different strategies for maybe starting pitching.
But I think that as as things stand right now,
they are not gonna sell. They're going to try to
make some additions and make the team stronger down the
stretch because again, they continue to believe that they are
a playoff team.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
So last year they were in a similar position. And
they bought. But they they kind of shopped at the
dollar store, right, they weren't. They weren't at Niman Marcus. Right,
they went to the dollar Store and they said, well,
well we bought. Well, hey, look at us, we bought. Yo,
we went to the damn dollar store. Where do they
(03:47):
shop if they buy? Well?
Speaker 5 (03:50):
As as we found out last year and ever, you know,
we know just throughout history, relievers are all over the market. Yeah,
and it's not always the guys who have the saves
and are who are all stars. It's set up guys.
It's veteran guys who are you know, the quote unquote
rental players who are who are going to walk into
(04:10):
free agency after this season. So you're only getting the
two months. You're not getting in no no strings attached
or no no guarantees that the guy stays with the team.
And I mean, I you know, I don't even the
list is so long, right, you know, every team has
them and every every seller has them. And so you
know what, what do the Rangers need though? In the bullpen?
(04:34):
They need somebody who can strike a guy out. They
need somebody who can come in and you know, you
need to strike out and you get a strikeout, and
the know, those those guys, a lot of teams are
going to want them, so there's gonna be some competition
for him. But you know, and do you do they
want to go ahead and address closer? Is this a
good time to do it? And all of these all
(04:56):
these questions will will the answer will be clear when
you see who they're getting. You know, the Rangers, we
continue to think, are pressed against the luxury tax threshold
just under it. They don't have a lot of wiggle
room to play with when you're adding salary. So you know,
if you think, if you think they're going to add
(05:16):
one of these closers who might be available, it's like,
well maybe, but but what are they what about the money?
And so they're going to have to get away, you know,
figure out a way to get creative, maybe trade dollars
for dollars, that type of thing. But relievers who can
strike guys out, I think is at the top of
(05:38):
the list.
Speaker 4 (05:39):
Yeah, it's a pressing need. There's no doubt about that.
The bullpen has the third best era in baseball, the
starting rotation has the best era in baseball, and yet
you just don't feel one hundred percent confident in that
bullpen as of right now. So that there's at forty
eight and forty nine, Jeff, there are sixty five games
(06:01):
left to me, I think the Rangers need to go
forty and twenty five, get to eighty eight wins and
take your chances. Likely as the Astros sit there at
fifty six, Likely that's not going to be enough to
win the division, but it could be. And I would
(06:23):
think eighty eight does get them in to one of
the wildcard spots.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
I would think so too. You kind of look at
the teams who are who are competing for the wildcard spot,
and you know, there's not a sound like you're like,
oh god, we're never going to catch them. You know,
these aren't great teams, you know, and I guess if
you're a wildcard team, you're not a great team. But
the point being, you know, I don't know that any
(06:50):
of these wildcards contenders is going to go on a
run and end up with ninety two wins, you know.
So yeah, eighty eighty eight is a good number. And
you know it's kind of like get in the clubhouse,
like on a Sunday, you know, get in at ten
under and see what happens. Yeah, you know, I think
the Rangers can do it. I mean, I know, you know,
(07:12):
we've seen it be done many times in the past.
We remember their second half not that long ago, ten
years ago, I guess in twenty fifteen. So there's there's
semi recent history with the Rangers, but there's history all
over baseball, recent history of teams that have kind of
lagged and lagged and lagged and then all of a
sudden they caught fire. You know, there's a Braves team
(07:33):
that did it, and the twenty two Braves did it.
The Tigers last year they sold their players to the Rangers. Yeah,
that's where the Rangers. Yeah, that's that's the dollar storellore
the Detroit Dollar Store, and all of a sudden, all
of a sudden, the Tigers are in the playoffs and
making noise. So there there's runs in every team. And
(07:55):
I think that, you know, the Rangers have a run
in them. And the more thing is that they believe
they have a run in them. And now they've believed
that all year. But it's starting to look like maybe
that's that's starting to materialize.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Sure, and you look at you know, forty and twenty
five and you think there's no chance. But just two
years ago, we know they started the season at forty
and twenty right, right, So it's not out of the question.
They don't even have to be as good as they
were at the start of the season in twenty three
(08:30):
in order to achieve that goal of eighty eight wins.
Speaker 5 (08:33):
Yeah, and you know, you kind of you look at
how things are lining up, the rotation with the Gram
and Valdi in it. Yeah, gosh, that's you're not going
to lose a series if those two guys are no
are pitching it, or you're very unlikely to lose a
series if they're pitching it. The offense, which we've talked about,
has been one of the best in baseball since June
(08:55):
the twenty fourth, So that's that's almost a month. Yeah,
that's almost a month of really good offense. You know,
Simmy has been really really good. Seeker has been fantastic.
You know, even Adules has been really good. And and
and in theory, they're gonna get fortifications from within their system.
Josh Young at some point is expected to be back. Sure,
(09:17):
Jock Peterson is going to coffee the injured list, and
he again can't be any worse.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Than he was.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
And then you still have John Gray and Josh Sports.
So that's four guys who you know, could could definitely
help the club. I think that bullpen wise, in the
short term, I wouldn't be surprised, you know, if if
cole Wynn is back very very soon, his minimum stay
on option has expired, so he could come back at will.
(09:43):
And then we have the Rowty to te Les Talise
t Lez however you want to say, and and I
don't know if if that is just a temporary thing
until Jake Burger is back, or if you know, when
when uh Or is healthy, if if maybe old Rowdy
stays around a little.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Bit, sure, Yeah, Well, to me, the result sort of
the conclusion from all this, Jeff, is that it's possible
for the Rangers to get back in this thing, to
go forty in twenty five, to be a playoff team.
The question is probable?
Speaker 5 (10:24):
Yeah, I don't know. I mean, we have we have
nearly one hundred games of evidence that suggests that this
isn't going to happen, right, And you're kind of when
you're when you're you know, thinking of how it is
going to happen, talking about a you know a record performance.
You know a club you're in club history. You know
(10:45):
how many forty and twenty stretches have there been in
this team's history, right, you know, and you're you're grasping
it things from a few years ago in the other
league or in another division, and it's you know, it's
definitely not where you want to be. And and hope
is never a good strategy. So, you know, there's a
lot of evidence that suggests that the Rangers are going
(11:07):
to finish right about where they are.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Unfortunately that's probably the truth. But when they do that,
we will be there every step of the way. We're
here every day right around one o'clock Monday through Friday
with the DLS Rangers Podcast. We'll see you then.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds at Midmobile. We're bringing back our
promotion every three month plan for fifteen dollars a month.
Give it a try at midmobile dot com. Slash switch from.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
King a fore five dollars for three months plan only,
fife dollars month required to do. Cutmer off for firstree months
only speaks after three five. Good Bye to neverk by
taxes and feesextrac semen Moble dot.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Com What makes us love our county so fiercely despite
all the summers of hurt. What lifts us back up
year after year after year, What stirs such passion in
our hearts and brings us out in our thousands. It's
something intangible, deep in our veins. It's our county, it's
(12:01):
our people, it's in our blood. AIB the toughest proud
sponsors of the All Irelandsenior Football Championship.
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