Wild Night Aids Texas Rangers, Rearranges Playoff Race

The Texas Rangers got help throughout the division on Monday, trimming the AL West deficit and moving back into a Wild Card spot.

The Texas Rangers kept their winning streak rolling on Monday, pounding the Toronto Blue Jays 10-4 at Rogers Centre.

That win, combined with two other events, aided their hopes of ending their six-season streak of missing the playoffs.

First, by beating the Blue Jays, the Rangers (79-64) slid into a tie for the final AL Wild Card spot with the Seattle Mariners. But that didn’t last long. The Mariners lost to the Los Angeles Angels, allowing the Rangers to pull ahead.

Second, the Houston Astros lost to the Oakland Athletics.

The Rangers win, combined with the Astros loss, helped the Rangers close the gap in the American League West race. The Astros still lead, but the Rangers are just two games back.

Below is an update on the race, with the current standings, magic numbers to clinch the AL West and a Wild Card berth, along with the remaining schedules for the teams that are still in the race.

The AL West Race as of Sept. 12

Monday’s AL West results

• Texas 10, Toronto 4
• Oakland 4, Houston 0
• Los Angeles Angels 8, Seattle 5 (11 innings)

Al West Standings

• Houston (82-63): — (Magic Number: 17)
• Texas (79-64): 2 GB
• Seattle (79-65): 2.5 GB

What’s Left?

• Houston (17): Tuesday-Wednesday: vs. Oakland (2); Friday-Sunday: at Kansas City (3); Sept. 18-20: vs. Baltimore (3); Sept. 22-24: vs. Kansas City (3); Sept. 25-27: at Seattle (3); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: at Arizona (3)
• Seattle (18): Tuesday-Wednesday: vs. Los Angeles Angels (2); Friday-Sunday: vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (3); Sept. 18-20: at Oakland (3); Sept. 22-24: at Texas (3); Sept. 25-27: vs. Houston (3); Sept. 28-Oct. 1: vs. Texas (4)
• Texas (19): Tuesday-Thursday: at Toronto (3); Friday-Sunday: at Cleveland (3); Sept. 18-20: vs. Boston (3); Sept. 22-24: vs. Seattle (3); Sept. 25-27: at Los Angeles Angels (3); Sept. 28-Oct. 1: at Seattle (4)

AL Wild Card Race as of Sept. 12

(Top three teams clinch Wild Card berths)

Monday’s other key AL Wild Card results

• Tampa Bay 7, Minnesota 4

Wild Card Standings

• Tampa Bay (89-56): +8.5 Games (Magic Number: 10)
• Toronto (80-64): +0.5 (18)
• Texas (79-64): — (19)
• Seattle (79-65): 0.5 GB

What’s Left?

• Tampa Bay (17): Tuesday-Wednesday: at Minnesota (2); Thursday-Sunday: at Baltimore (4); Sept. 19-21: vs. Los Angeles Angels (3); Sept. 22-24: vs. Toronto (3); Sept. 26-27: vs. Boston (2); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: at Toronto (3)
• Toronto (18): Tuesday-Thursday: vs. Texas (3); Friday-Sunday: vs. Boston (3); Sept. 19-21: at New York Yankees (3); Sept. 22-24: at Tampa Bay (3); Sept. 26-28: vs. New York Yankees (3); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: vs. Tampa Bay (3)

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

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