When Elvis Andrus made up for a key error and scored from second base on a two-out infield single by Josh Hamilton to win in walk-off fashion on Friday night, it seemed to have potential to be one of those "defining moments" this season for the Texas Rangers.
The hope was that it would light a fire under the struggling club, that's still managed to hang on to first place in the AL West. Then, the next night, they went out and watched as embattled closer Neftali Feliz blew yet another save.
Then came Sunday when the Rangers bats were shut down for nearly 8 innings before scoring five runs in the eighth off of one of the best relievers in the game to beat the Indians 5-3 in the series finale.
The Indians are a contending team in the AL Central, and the Rangers were able to take two of three, although Cleveland could've easily swept the series. They jumped out on Derek Holland on Friday before the dramatic walk-off win. They got to Feliz on Saturday, and they had Sunday's game in the bag. It seemed that way, at least.
Get used to it, Rangers fans. The Rangers are about to start a stretch in which they play some really good teams, including the Angels, who are currently just a game back.
Every game from now on will be a feeling Rangers fans don't have very often. Even last year, they had a big lead in the division for the entire second half of the season.
It's about to get really, really fun. And this past weekend's series was good evidence of that.
