The primary storyline from Tuesday night's Houston Astros-Texas Rangers game was Corey Seager ending Framber Valdez's no-hit bid with two outs in the 9th inning. Seager hit a two-run home run to spoil Valdez's chances at throwing a no-hitter. However, Tyler Mahle's return from injury, and first start with the Rangers, should not be overlooked.
Mahle surrendered only one run over five innings of work in his Rangers debut. He added two strikeouts in what was certainly a respectable performance. Mahle, who last pitched in 2023 with the Minnesota Twins before undergoing Tommy John surgery, addressed his outing after the game, via Bally Sports Southwest.
“Felt great,” Mahle said. “Felt like I never left. Was really happy to be able to go out and compete with the guys… I just trust the process. I know it's, like, cliche… They laid it out, the whole plan for me. So just trusting that if I hit each milestone that I was going to get to this day. We're here. I was happy it went the way it did for me. Just for the outing, getting the first one out of the way. Obviously we took a tough loss, but getting the first one out of the way was huge.”
Rangers' Tyler Mahle set to play pivotal role down the stretch
The Rangers are looking to make a playoff push. Texas is currently five games back in the American League West. They would unquestionably like to win the division, but they are hoping to clinch an AL Wild Card spot at the very least.
Injuries have been far too common for the Rangers in 2024. Mahle's return adds another reliable starter to the rotation, though.
Mahle has pitched at the MLB level since 2017. He made his debut with the Cincinnati Reds and endured some up and down seasons. Mahle had some impressive campaigns, however, such as his 2021 performance when he led the league with 33 starts and pitched to a respectable 3.75 ERA. He also recorded a career-high 210 strikeouts in 2021.
Mahle later joined the Twins where he spent parts of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. His season came to an end in 2023 after suffering an elbow injury, though.
Mahle, who is still only 29 years old, is hoping to pitch well to end the '24 campaign with the Rangers following his return.
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