Cole Hamels had a very good start last night. He dominated the Rays. Cole Hamels has been dominating a whole lot lately. Since joining the Rangers, he has been a true ace.
His ERA since the All-Star break is 1.85, fourh best in the American League in that time period. His ERA for the year is 2.80. Had it not been for his two bad starts because of a blister issue, it would be 2.37, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish make up the best 1-2 punch in the American League, in my opinion. Colby Lewis and Derek Holland should be back soon. Both are on target for a return soon. If Colby can be Colby, and Derek can be any good at all, this team will be hard to beat.
Adrian Beltre, Ian Desmond and Elvis Andrus are having great seasons, Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Beltran are fitting in nicely. This team is getting hard to hit against and hard to pitch against.
The Rangers may be on the verge of peaking at just the right time. The Astros are fading, the Mariners are not. If they can hit their stride in mid September, watch out American League.