Being patient is valuable, but launching a sudden attack can be much more enjoyable. This approach mirrors the Texas Rangers’ success last season, which ultimately led them to become World Series champions.

Exercising patience is exemplified by the Rangers’ recent wins over the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics. Despite facing back-to-back two-run deficits in the eighth inning, the Rangers managed to overcome them with the help of consistent starting pitching and a lineup of seasoned hitters capable of mounting late-game comebacks.

On the other hand, executing an ambush is demonstrated by Marcus Semien’s aggressive approach. In a game against the A’s, Semien wasted no time, hitting a first-pitch fastball from Ross Stripling for a home run, setting the stage for a commanding 15-8 victory. This aggressive play resulted in the Rangers scoring 15 runs for the second time in four games, recording a season-high number of hits (19), and reaching a season-high five games over .500 (21-16).

Semien, a finalist for the AL MVP award, played a pivotal role in igniting the team’s momentum, showcasing his reliability and leadership once again.

“It could be one-nothing pretty quick,” Rangers catcher Jonah Heim said. “When he steps up there, you know he’s going to put together a good at bat, hit the ball hard and get the line moving.”

It was 1-0 pretty quick. It was also 11-0 pretty dang quick too.

The Rangers’ first seven batters reached base to begin the second inning after Semien’s sixth home run of the season cracked the window open in the first. Travis Jankowski, Jonah Heim, Leody Taveras and Marcus Semien hit four straight singles to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead before Corey Seager booted a would-be double play ball to second base, but Abraham Toro airmailed his throw into the outfield to score Taveras from third. Adolis Garcia worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-0 before Evan Carter popped into foul territory for the inning’s first out.

Then it got worse.

Josh Smith drilled a single into right field to score another run and make it 6-0, then, after a Jankowski strikeout, Heim carded his second single of the inning to score a pair of runners and make it 8-0.

A brief pause in the action for some important context: the Rangers began Tuesday’s game with a .077 batting average (1 for 17) with the bases loaded since April 22. It was a curiously ill-timed drought and it cost them countless chances to either take a lead or extend existing ones. It was unemblematic of last year’s offense which, often, was classified as relentless or ruthless.

They did not relent on Tuesday.

“They’re difference makers,” Bochy said. “You can change the score like that, and we’ve had our moments where it didn’t happen, so it’s good to see these guys have success with the bases loaded.”

OK, back to the second inning: Taveras followed Heim with his second single of the inning to plate a run, and Semien carried on with a two-run double in the next at bat to give the Rangers an 11-0 lead. Semien, a San Francisco native who played six seasons for Oakland, was a triple shy of the cycle in the second inning. He recorded another single in the fourth, finished 4 for 5 with 5 RBIs and 3 runs scored, but elected to remove himself from the blowout in the seventh in favor of the recently-called up Jonathan Ornelas despite a shot at the cycle on the table.

“He said, ‘I’m good.’” Bochy said. “He wanted to give Ornelas an at bat, that’s just who he is. He’s a good teammate. Now, I told him, ‘It’s on you now.’ I’m not taking him out and having to answer that question.”

Semien’s work was well done, anyways, and the Rangers face a scheduled doubleheader on Wednesday to finish the four-game series in Oakland. They prepared as best they could: Texas forced Oakland into its bullpen before the second inning ended, avoided its own high-leverage arms thanks to the considerable early lead and five strong innings from spot starter José Ureña and were able to pull key position players from the game before its final two innings.

An improved bullpen and a dynamic run of starting pitching in recent weeks have helped the Rangers pull together the AL West’s record nonetheless.

“I think we’ve been playing well,” Semien said. “We’ve been winning games in different kinds of ways.”

They have, and there’s value to that