Defense Struggles As Texas Stumbles

After riding a wave of pitching and defense to a comfortable lead in the American League West, Texas has hit a bump in the road, in early to mid June.
 
The Rangers are in what is probably the toughest stretch of their schedule -- New York, Boston, Toronto, LA, etc -- so a few dropped games are understandable.
 
The fact that they have faced some of the best offensive teams in baseball at least partially explains the team’s 4.87 ERA in the past week.
 
But more than that, Texas’ 3-5 mark over their last eight games illustrates a shift in defense, a regression into mediocrity.
 
Texas has committed eight errors in their last eight games.
 
This is a surprising mark, considering the pristine defense that helped the team to the first place lead they are currently enjoying.
 
Texas posted the second-best fielding percentage in baseball for the month of May, which played no small part in their 20-9 mark over that period.
 
However, the tight baseball the Rangers played a month ago has since been seemingly lost.
 
As the team heads into Wednesday night, trying to salvage a split from Toronto, Los Angeles sits only three games back of the lead in the West and winners of four of their last six.
 
Certainly, Texas has shown an ability to play outstanding defense; whether or not it begins tonight or tomorrow, the Rangers would do well to find their gloves soon, lest the pitching-and-defense-propelled lead dissipate and disappear completely.