Major League Baseball

Why Rangers should feel completely fine after loss in World Series Game 2

Published Oct. 29, 2023 10:01 a.m. ET

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Ben Verlander

FOX Sports MLB Analyst

The Arizona Diamondbacks wrangled the Texas Rangers in Arlington, and now the World Series is all tied up 1-1. 

The D-backs dominated this game. It felt like a must-win start for Merrill Kelly on the mound, who threw for seven innings while striking out nine and allowing three hits in a truly great performance. 

The Rangers have been the hottest team in baseball. While heading on the plane to Arizona, the Rangers shouldn't think for one second about a bad performance at the plate tonight. They should tip their cap to Merrill Kelly, and say, 'Sometimes, you just get got. Sometimes it's the other guy's night.' Tonight, it was Kelly's night and there's nothing the Rangers could do about it. 

That's the thing about where the series is at right now: tied 1-1, both teams feel fine. The D-backs' goal was to win once on the road in the first two games, which they did. The Rangers have dominated on the road recently. They've won eight straight road games in this postseason, which is a huge outlier. It just about never happens.

So, nobody feels out of it at this point, and I think we should buckle up for a long series. 

We've never had a year in which the NLCS, ALCS and the World Series went the full seven games in the same postseason. There's a chance we'll see that happen this year.

But the Rangers will go as their stars go, and they didn't go tonight. Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Evan Carter, and Adolís Garcia collectively went one-for-12 with six strikeouts tonight. If the Rangers want to win, they can't do that. They have to be better at the plate. 

With all that said, how should they be feeling heading into Arizona? Completely fine. 

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MLB - Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Texas Rangers - 10/29/2023

Ben Verlander

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