Semien, Rangers keep streaks going in victory

ARLINGTON -- Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe didn’t want to quote him exactly, but he recalled a conversation he had with Marcus Semien this past offseason.

During that talk, Semien told Lowe that he wanted to get into the American League MVP race. In order for the Rangers to be in contention, Semien thought he needed to be in the thick of that competition alongside some of MLB’s best.

He’s done that and more.

During the Rangers' 6-4 win over the Cardinals Tuesday night, Semien extended his career-high hit streak to 25 games in dramatic fashion with a tiebreaking, bases-clearing RBI double in the fourth inning. It helped Texas overcome an early deficit, secure a series win and give the Rangers their 5th straight victory.

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“He’s just a good hitter,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I'll start with that, so it's pretty simple. This guy can flat-out hit. He’s got a simple swing. He has a great balance up there and uses all fields. That double today was to right-center, he didn't pull it. He is just a really good hitter and he's in a nice, nice groove right now. It's fun to see when these great athletes get in the zone. And that's been the case with Marcus.”

His 25-game hit streak is the longest active streak in MLB. Semien also tied two other iconic Rangers infielders, Michael Young (2005) and Ian Kinsler (‘08), for the second-longest hit streak in franchise history. He’s three shy of tying the franchise record, set by Gabe Kapler (28 games) in '00.

During the streak, Semien has slashed .327/.367/.564 as he’s driven the Rangers' hot offense during this stretch.

The most important thing for Semien is winning, so the streak means even more when coupled with the big moments he's contributed to the Rangers' winning streak. After his big RBI double, he became just the third player in the Majors with 50 RBIs, joining Houston’s Yordan Alvarez and teammate Adolis García, who went 4-for-4 with a solo homer against the Cardinals.

“I mean, those are definitely the times you want to get hits if you're going to get any,” Semien said. “I think today, they definitely pitched a little more carefully and made some good pitches. But in those situations, those are pressure situations on the pitcher, so I got two strikes and got something I could hit.”

On a day when the Rangers lost a big free agent signing in Jacob deGrom for the rest of the season to a UCL tear, it was notable that another splashy free agent acquisition in Semien -- who signed a seven-year, $175 million deal going into the 2022 season -- continued to excel.

After his Texas tenure got off to a slow start -- he hit just .199 over his first 47 games in 2022 -- Semien has been one of the best in MLB since the struggles. Since June 1 of last season, he’s slashed .280/.338/.495 with 34 home runs and 116 RBIs.

“He expects himself to play MVP caliber baseball, and he's doing that for us,” Lowe said. “So, any time you get any teammate that's going to do that offensively, defensively, baserunning-wise, who's a role model as a guy like, he's doing it all right now, so it's not a surprise to see him have this success. It's gonna keep going forward, because he's gonna try and play every single game. There’s no question he's gonna lead off for us. He's gonna play second every day he can. He gives us this effort. He's great. He's so good for us.”

For all his on-field production, the entire Rangers clubhouse has raved all season long about his clubhouse leadership. He sets the tone every day, whether he’s speaking or not, and drives the Rangers on both sides of the field.

Bochy emphasized how hard it is to quantify that value, regardless of what he does on the field.

“For a manager to have a guy like Marcus to lead the way, leading off the game and the defense he gives, it's just a manager's dream,” Bochy said. “He’s out here every day, same work ethic, same routine that he goes through every day. He does make sure that other guys are getting their work in too. He leads by example, but he’ll also say something to somebody. It’s invaluable. That's all I can tell you as far as having a player like that on your team.”