Rangers Frantic Wild Card Playoff Chase Continues Entering Brewers Series

The Texas Rangers are preparing to host the Milwaukee Brewers as they remain poised to close in on the Seattle Mariners in the AL Wild Card race.

Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger (21) and his teammates celebrate the win over the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers took two out of three games from the Houston Astros over the weekend but didn’t make up any appreciable ground in the AL Wild Card race. But Texas didn’t lose any ground, either.

The Rangers (74-70) started the series 1.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners and ended the series 1.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners. Both won two out of three games in their respective series, with the Rangers defeating the Houston Astros, 4-2, in the finale on Sunday. Texas claimed the win with a three-run sixth inning, as Josh Jung had an RBI double and Jake Burger drove him in with a two-run home run. That backed up nearly six solid innings from starter Patrick Corbin and another strong outing from de facto closer Shawn Armstrong.

Now, Texas prepares to host the Milwaukee Brewers, the hottest team in baseball, and the Rangers still need to dig in and win every game it can to try and pass the Mariners for the final AL wild card berth.

Where Rangers Stand in AL Wild Card Race

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The Rangers did a little damage to Houston’s lead in the AL West race. With two wins over the Astros in three games, they were able to cut the Astros’ lead by one game. But the Astros are still four games ahead. The Rangers’ series win also helped the Mariners, who are now. 2.5 games behind.

With 18 games left, Texas cannot finish tied with Seattle, since the Mariners have the tiebreaker over the Rangers. Seattle also has one more game to play than Texas, thanks to a four-game series against St. Louis later this week. The two teams won’t be even in terms of number of games left until next week.

The Rangers are trying to return to the postseason for the first time since 2023 when they won the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

Texas Rangers Playoff Race

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AL West Race (after Sept. 7)

Houston Astros: 78-66

(Magic number to clinch AL West: 17)

Seattle Mariners: 75-68 (2.5 games behind)

Texas Rangers: 74-70 (4.0 games behind)

Texas Rangers remaining schedule (18 games): Sept. 8-10, vs. Milwaukee; Sept. 12-14, at New York Mets; Sept. 15-17 at Houston; Sept. 19-21 vs. Miami; Sept. 23-25, vs. Minnesota; Sept. 26-28, at Cleveland.

Houston Astros Remaining Schedule (18 games): Sept. 9-11, at Toronto; Sept. 12-14, at Atlanta; Sept. 15-17, vs. Texas; Sept. 19-21, vs. Seattle; Sept. 23-25 at Athletics; Sept. 26-28, at Los Angeles Angels.

Seattle Mariners remaining schedule (19 games): Sept. 8-10, vs. St. Louis; Sept. 11-14, vs. Los Angeles Angels; Sept. 16-18 at Kansas City; Sept. 19-21 at Houston; Sept. 23-25, vs. Colorado; Sept. 26-28, vs. Los Angeles Dodgers.

AL Wild Card Race

New York Yankees: 80-63 (5.0 games ahead)

Boston Red Sox: 79-65 (3.5 games ahead)

Seattle Mariners: 75-68 (last berth)

Texas Rangers: 74-70 (1.5 games behind final berth)

Kansas City Royals: 73-70 (2.0 games behind final berth)