Looking Back on the Improbable Sweep

The Texas Rangers are by no means out of the woods. It's still a major uphill climb for them to get into the thick of things in the AL West over the next five months. But for one three-game series in May, the Rangers were taking it to the best team in baseball and came away with a huge, confidence-building sweep.

The series started with the Rangers' worst starter, Ross Detwiler, going up against the majors' ERA leader in Dallas Keuchel, and pitching toe-to-toe with him as the Rangers pulled out a come-from-behind win by scoring in the eighth and ninth innings.

Then, the Rangers' bats came to life over the next two games with 7-1 and 11-3 wins to close out the sweep with guys like Kyle Blanks and Carlos Peguero turning into home run machines, and Shin-Soo Choo continuing to dig his way out of a massive slump through the season's first month.

The sweep left us in an improbable spot — the Rangers are no longer in last place in the AL West. No, that spot belongs to the preseason favorites in Seattle. And the Rangers are only 1 1/2 games behind second-place Los Angeles.

It was improbable in every way possible, and now the Rangers' best starting pitcher to date this year is taking the mound tonight in Tampa to continue this hot streak.

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