The Texas Rangers are now eight games back in the AL West after losing seven of their last ten games. With injuries piling up, the Rangers are in trouble while the division leading Oakland A’s are on a roll. The Rangers may be slipping in the standings, but it’s just too early to count them out.

A big concern for Texas is its starting rotation.  When Yu Darvish is on the mound, there’s a good chance the Rangers will get the W.  However, their starting pitchers have recently suffered injuries that are a big threat to their season.

With Martin Perez out for the year due to Tommy John surgery, and Matt Harrison facing career threatening spinal fusion surgery, the Rangers have some holes to fill in the rotation.

Perez was 4-3 with a 4.38 ERA before being placed on the disabled list.  He started the season with flashy numbers, but the elbow issues became evident in his starts. Harrison was 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA before going on the DL.

The Rangers are making some pitching changes, as they recently moved Robbie Ross back to the bullpen after struggling as a starter.  Nick Tepesch will continue to pitch in the rotation, and had a much needed good start for Texas.  He received a no decision in his first start, but allowed only one earned run.

Texas is also dealing with some cold bats at the plate.  Elvis Andrus is 2-in his last 29 with runners in scoring position and is batting .249 on the year.  Overall he has only nine RBI and two homeruns.; not the production they want to see from their two-hole hitter.

Prince Fielder is also out with an injury after suffering from a herniated disk in his neck, snapping his consecutive game streak at 547.   Both Fielder and Leonys Martin were scratched from the lineup on Tuesday night due to a sore arm and stiff neck, however Fielder has now missed four games in a row.

The Rangers have been top contenders in the American League the last few seasons with some of the best players in baseball on their roster, but this year has been a real struggle so far.  Plagued with the injury bug, they have had a slow start and with the A’s and Angels playing some great baseball lately, the Rangers continue to fall in the standings.

While being eight games out of the division isn’t ideal, it’s just a bit too early to count the Rangers out.  There is still a lot of baseball left to play, and injuries aside, there are plenty of moves the front office can make to get them back in contention.