On July 31, after the clock struck 3 p.m. central time, we quickly started seeing buzz that the Texas Rangers had made a minor move to acquire a relief pitcher just before the deadline that had yet to be announced.
That move ended up being acquiring Sam Dyson, a relief pitcher from the Marlins, for young catcher Tomas Telis, who's been up to Arlington a couple of time but has spent much of his time in Round Rock in recent years.
Dyson allowed one run in 1 1/3 innings his first outing with Texas, and since then, he's been absolutely lights out.
In his last nine outings, he's allowed no runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and a walk, and his high-90s sinking fastball has driven hitters nuts.
When you're facing 97 and 98 mph with a quick sinking action, there isn't much to do with it other than strikeout or groundout, and Dyson has been a groundball machine.
The thought with relievers has long been that they're fleeting, going from bad to great and back to bad with the snap of a finger.
Dyson wasn't bad in Miami, but he wasn't this good, either. Maybe he just needed a change of scenery or the light bulb just suddenly came on. Whatever the case, he's been a revelation for the Rangers' weary bullpen this year and he looks every bit the closer that Shawn Tolleson has, giving the Rangers a lethal 1-2 punch at the back of a ballgame.
