'He's a really good pitcher': Mahle shows his potential with dominant start

CHICAGO -- Tyler Mahle hasn’t completed the seventh inning of a start since 2022. That was a Tommy John surgery and two whole teams ago.

On a frigid afternoon at Wrigley Field, he finally did it once again.

Mahle tossed seven innings of one-run ball in a 6-2 win over the Cubs on Wednesday afternoon as the Rangers avoided their first sweep of the season.

This was his longest outing since a complete game on June 14, 2022, against the Diamondbacks as a member of the Reds. Mahle’s velocity was down across the board in the 40-degree Chicago air, but he was the most effective he's been as a Ranger.

“He got better as he went, so that's what was really impressive,” said manager Bruce Bochy.

Mahle threw 21 pitches with a walk in the first inning, but he cruised afterwards, allowing just two back-to-back hits and a run in the fourth inning.

After a days-long offensive slump, the Rangers backed up Mahle with an 11-hit performance, including a pair of homers from Corey Seager. It was Seager’s 18th career multihomer game and his first since Aug. 19, 2024, against the Pirates. Seager has eight multihomer game as a Ranger (since 2022), which is the most among shortstops in that time span.

“He’s one of the best hitters in the game,” Bochy said of Seager. “He’s such a big part of our offense. The key is to get guys on for him, obviously. But even with that, he just sends a sense of confidence throughout the club when he's doing his thing.”

Seager getting right would no doubt be important for the Rangers' offense, but a healthy Mahle could do wonders for the rotation. They signed the right-hander to a two-year, $22 million deal entering 2024 knowing that he would be continuing Tommy John rehab. He only made three starts late last season due to his recovery and then right shoulder soreness upon his return.

Mahle recorded just five outs in his 2025 debut against the Red Sox, but has been effective and consistent since then. Over his two starts against the Rays and Cubs, he allowed just three hits and one run in 12 innings.

“I think I’m just living more over the plate and not trying to strike everyone out,” Mahle said. “It’s just about trusting that my stuff is good enough to live over the plate. I even knew it during that first game. I saw the swings guys were taking when I was in the zone. I just wasn't in the zone enough. Even in spring, I knew the stuff was back to normal. I can just go out and pitch.”

Mahle said this is the best he’s felt like early in the 2022 season before he was traded from the Reds to the Twins that August. But truth be told, he’s hasn’t even been healthy since the previous year in 2021, when he tossed a career-high 180 innings with a 3.75 ERA in Cincinnati.

“You saw it today, you saw a guy that has pitchability,” Bochy said. “I talk all the time about him using all the quadrants, freezing guys away, getting them to chase up. His fastball has a good carry, too. It plays more than what he may show. And then he mixes in that split very well. He's a really good pitcher. He knows what he's doing out there.”