"Ugly" with a capital "U." HOWEVER...Astros lose to Royals, 4-2, Mariners trailing the Dodgers 4-3 in top of eighth. If Dodgers hand on to win, all three AL West teams will fall tonight. Unfortunately, Blue Jays beat Boston 3-0, so they make up a game in the Wild Card race. Tomorrow's another day - Rangers need to get back on track and win the two remaining games against the Indians.
I wanted 5-2 on this road trip when it started, need to win today to hit that mark. Got greedy when they won first four but win today and it’s still a successful road trip.
Phooey! Sweep the Blue Jays, get swept by the Indians. How's that for consistent play! Blue Jays and Astros both win. Dodgers help by beating Mariners. Next up - Rangers host Red Sox, Houston hosts Orioles, Mariners at A's, Blue Jays at Yankees. Rangers 1-1/2 games behind Astros with 13 games to play. Toronto lead Rangers by 1/2 game for 2nd Wild Card slot; Rangers lead Mariners by 1 game for 3rd Wild Card. IMO - Astros will win AL West. Texas/Toronto/Seattle fight for two Wild Card slots. Could well come down to last series of the season still in doubt. Key - Rangers need to bash Boston at home.
12 games left, 1 game back of Houston for AL West lead but really two because Astros have the tie braker, tied with Seattle for third WC and 7 games left with the Mariners. Here we go,
Tampa has a WC locked in. Even if they catch Baltimore, Baltimore will have the first WC. Toronto has all but sewed up the second WC which leaves the Texas and Seattle fight. They play each other seven times between now and the end of the season. The cumulative winner of those 7 games will get to play the winner of the East in a one-game "series". Yeah, you made the playoffs now take your loser share of the WC game and go home.
I was so disgusted after the weekend, I didn't watch the game Monday night, watched Monday night football. Thought it might help the Rangers luck but they lost to the lowly Soxs who are in last place in their division, 19.5 games out and basically playing for nothing....
3 way tie for AL West lead in the loss column. 11 to go and at this point 90-91 wins will win the West as no one has taken advantage of the other two teams also being in late season slumps. All three are 1 game back of Toronto in WC race in loss column. The two series with the Mariners will decide Texas' fate.
Texas and Seattle are 1/2 game behind Houston. Jung and Garcia back will help Texas, but Houston's remaining schedule (x-3 at Seattle) is the easiest of the three. Hard to see them backsliding. However, 10 of Seattle's last 11 are against Houston and Texas so their fate is entirely in their own hands.
We're up 10-4 against Boston after giving up 4 runs in the first two innings. Gray, the starting pitcher, is the one who's air is spewing, but the line-up is on fire today. We have all hands on deck including Carter (2 hits so far).
This line-up (and today's box starting the bottom of the 6th; we're the home team) can do a lot of damage. Wait until we get Langford in there. Next year could we'll have an amazing line-up. Just need a bullpen!!!!
All three AL West teams win today and we wait to see what happens with the Yankees and Toronto tonight. 10 game sprint upcoming that will decide the Rangers fate. Anything worse than 6-4 over those ten will almost certainly see Texas miss the postseason and it might take 7-3. Keep in mind that whatever happens this has been a truly objectively and unexpectedly good season. As Viper has said to talk me off the ledge a couple of times this year, the Rangers are a year ahead of where we hoped they might be next year so perspective will help whatever happens these next ten days.
Finally, a big vicktree, over the soxs 15-4 or whatever the final was - could not watch. Garcia and Jung back & have been a huge boost to this team. Box scores looks like everyone was productive today. Gonna be a tight ending in the West. We got Seattle and LAA coming up.... GO RANGERS !!!!
That line-up, with power everywhere, will change the way pitchers approach us. It has to help. There are no gimme's. I like the way Carter is refusing to chase pitches. He is getting called out on strikes every now and then, but I see it as him learning how to control the pitcher and not chase things. His OPS is over 1.0. His on base % is over .400!
Toronto lost last night so now there are four teams all tied in the loss column on 68 losses going into this final stretch of games. One of three will win west, two of four will be WC's and the third starts vacation early.
