​ARLINGTON — If not for Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford, his manager might have spent the last two nights buried beneath the rubble of a faltering bullpen, no matter how fair or unfair that burden would be. Instead, he can exhale, even if only briefly, knowing the relief puzzle ahead isn’t of his making, and soak in the dividends of having a rising star in the lineup. “Good players make managers look good,” Schumaker said. “That’s simply the bottom line.” They can also turn potholes into cracks in the sidewalk when their potential shines through. Langford delivered heroics for a second straight game in a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field on Friday night, belting a go-ahead homer to erase a blown lead by the Rangers’ bullpen and extend their grip on the American League West. The night before, in a win against the Los Angeles Angels, he produced a walk-off single just as his team’s bullpen surrendered a five-run lead in his first game back from the injured list.
Two themes dominate: first, the bullpen’s current fragility may be unsustainable; second, Langford’s budding status as a star could help bridge those gaps. “He hasn’t had an at-bat in two weeks, and he’s won us two games,” Schumaker said. “He’s one of the best players in the big leagues in my opinion. We’ve got to keep him on the field as long as we can because he helps us win a ton of games. He has this unique ability to come up in the big moments. His heartbeat is slow, and he comes up with big hits after big hits.” One inning after the Rangers relinquished the lead, Langford pulled Bryan King’s fastball into the second deck for a 404-foot homer that put his team back in front. It energized the dugout, as first baseman Jake Burger noted after delivering a dagger three-run blast three at-bats later.
Langford has been electric for a month, even though a hamstring strain kept him out for about ten days. Since June 1, he’s slashed .311/.367/.633 with eight homers, and in that stretch he has seemingly carried the Rangers to several important victories. In Friday’s game, before his late-game heroics, the left fielder initiated a double play in the top of the first to aid Cal Quantrill’s quality start and scored the opening run in the bottom half thanks to Brandon Nimmo’s double. “It’s the Wyatt we know, and it’s the Wyatt we need,” Burger said. The veteran infielder’s remarks underscore just how critical Langford’s production has become, especially with Corey Seager sidelined and the rotation feeling the strain of potentially losing two full-time pitchers, while the bullpen has been either short-handed or overworked, depending on the day. The Rangers carried a two-run lead into the sixth inning courtesy of Quantrill’s solid start, a performance that underscored the value Langford has added—both with the stick and with his presence on the field.