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ARLINGTON - He could've tripled or quadrupled down, but even for an executive who fancies a catch phrase or two, it might've bordered on redundancy.
"I want to see winning baseball," Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said. "It's pretty straightforward in my opinion."
So much so, that in a discussion with reporters, he reiterated the sentiment word-for-word in multiple responses to questions about the soon-to-come trade deadline. He isn't one to disclose deadline plans, or, at this stage, an exact direction, but he did acknowledge that the path to a proactive next two weeks involves some combination of "play winning baseball, continue to stack wins, get above .500 and maintain our position in the standings."
Actually, on second thought, it wouldn't have hurt him to say it a few more times.
Or at least a little bit louder so that everyone heard.
The Rangers lost 10-3 vs. the Chicago White Sox at Globe Life Field Monday night and have now dropped three of the four games they've played since the second half began. Their ace was roughed around in his first start back from an injury-induced break. Their bullpen's depth was further exposed. Their lead in the American League West was whittled down to a tie that may not last until the morning. Their winning record is suddenly nonexistent.
Their Aug. 3 trade deadline fate remains at least a tad murkier than it might've been even a week ago because of it all.
"These next couple of weeks of baseball are really going to determine where we are and what we do," Young said, "but I'm very proud of the way the team has played."
The gap between their pythagorean record (a metric based on run differential that believes they've played like a bottom-third team in baseball) and their postseason projection (a FanGraphs model suggests that they have the sixth-best playoff chances in their league) might best illustrate the dearth of overachievers or underachievers in the American League. The traditional forms of evaluation (like their 50-50 record or temporary tie for first place atop a weak division) might best illustrate that the Rangers have so far been average in a season where that level of play has been tolerated better than in other years.
"I still, in my heart, do not believe we've played our best baseball," Young said. "I think we need to be fully healthy to be able to play our best baseball."
That starts with shortstop Corey Seager, who as of Monday afternoon, is still unsure when exactly he may be able to return from a case of lower back inflammation that's sidelined him this entire month. It continues with left-handed pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bradford, both of whom have neared the final stages of elbow surgery rehab, and how much they'll be able to impact a thinned rotation. It includes the avoidance of further injuries for a team that's already needed a number of midseason signees to help it remain afloat.
Their best baseball requires execution above all else, and after Monday's loss, right-handed pitcher Jacob deGrom bemoaned the lack thereof. He held the first-place White Sox to one run through four innings and, because of a home run hit by designated hitter Joc Pederson in the first and a full-count single hit by center fielder Evan Carter with a runner on base in the second, had put his team in a decent position. In the fifth, though, the White Sox jumped on his four-seam fastball-slider combination, and with the bases loaded, designated hitter Andrew Benintendi hit the latter into right field for a three-run single.
It forced an already depleted bullpen to cover four-plus innings, and while the first three rookie relievers that pitched did their jobs, the fourth faltered late. Right-handed pitcher Jose Corniell entered in the ninth inning of what was then a two-run game and allowed five runs on four hits and a walk to whisk away any legitimate chance of a late rally.
"We've got to lock in and play good baseball," deGrom said. "We've got to do it for the rest of the year. Luckily, we're in a spot where we're right there in this division. I don't know what the Mariners are doing tonight, but as of right now, I think we're still in first, right? We've got some games against them coming up and we've just got to play good baseball."
Or, in his president of baseball operations' terms, winning baseball.
"We'll be prepared for anything," Young said.
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