Texas Rangers Robust Pitching Rotation Is A Game-Changer For Postseason Hopes

The Texas Rangers’ pitching rotation has become a major problem for the American League West, and anybody who wants to stand in their way.

Kicking off the 2025 season atop the division, the Rangers’ starters - Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle - have borne much of the weight defensively. The trio has tossed 66 combined innings across 20 appearances, so it’s clear that fatigue has hindered the team's success. But overall, they know they have something special going forward.

Texas entered its April 15 matchup with the Los Angeles Angels on a three-game losing streak, but Mahle gave an inspiring nine-strikeout performance over six innings that pulled the team out of its recent funk. Steady hitting has been another key factor for the Rangers, but Mahle’s performance was the anchor.

The nine-year veteran is on track to start against the Los Angeles Dodgers for an Easter Sunday matinee, where the home crowd at Globe Life Field will be expecting the momentum to keep going.

On Wednesday, the Rangers needed All-Star veteran Patrick Corbin to be the next to shine in the spotlight. He did, indeed. The 35-year-old hurler finished the evening with six strikeouts and allowed one run in just over five innings.

Corbin struggled in his first-ever Rangers appearance on April 8, so he’s been waiting patiently for the opportunity to prove himself. The Rangers signed him before the 2025 season, and the big question was whether or not his arm could hold up as the year progresses. Thus far, it’s undetermined in two appearances.

That said, with Jack Leiter remaining on the 15-day IL, the demand for innings out of Corbin is bound to skyrocket ahead of May.

While deGrom technically lost the pitcher's duel against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers on Friday, the two-time Cy Young winner mostly shut the tough-hitting opponents down for seven innings, recording seven strikeouts and allowing one run in the first inning.

It's Eovaldi's turn on Saturday, and the Rangers are prepared to make a statement against a batting order that will be without Shohei Ohtani once again.

The bats have to keep rolling. The pitchers certainly will keep dealing. And the Rangers will continue to be the favorite to dominate the AL West this season.

The Rangers planned to have depth on the mound for the 2025 season. But they couldn’t have imagined where things would be as the first month of the season begins to evaporate.