Rangers Ready for June

With a quick look at the MLB standings on May 1, you can see the opportunity that was put in front of the Texas Rangers, who were tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball on that day at 17-7.

Series against the Indians, Royals, A's, Astros and two series against the Mariners, coupled with series against two good teams (Orioles and Angels), both of which the Rangers ended up winning, would lead many to believe they'd be in really, really good shape come June 1.

Yeah, not so much. Granted, the Rangers are still one game back of the Dodgers for the best record in all of baseball, but their lead in the division could be so much more than it is. In fact, the Angels have suddenly gotten hot and closed the gap from nine games to 5 1/2 as the Rangers lost series in May to Blue Jays, Indians, Royals and Mariners. Now, they start June with a three-game set in Anaheim against the Angels.

The Rangers will be looking forward to June, not only to get May behind them, but to get into the heavy dose of Interleague play, which the Rangers have dominated in recent years. This year's slate includes series against the Giants, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Padres and, of course, the Astros.

The Rangers haven't seen a day this year, aside from that quirky Tokyo series to open the season, when they haven't been in first place. We'll see if that holds true through June.

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