Texas Rangers Fall Out of Wild Card Position, Leapfrogged by Blue Jays

If the playoffs started today, the Texas Rangers wouldn’t be suiting up.

They’d be on vacation.

Not only have the Rangers fallen out of the American League West lead thanks to their prolonged swoon, they’re now on the outside looking in when it comes to the Wild Card chase.

Texas (76-62) dropped a half-game behind the Toronto Blue Jays (77-62) as the third Wild Card club in the AL. The Rangers also saw their postseason odds fall to 56.6%, according to FanGraphs, due to 14 losses in their last 18 games.

But, as manager Bruce Bochy reminded after Jose Altuve drilled three home runs in Tuesday’s 14-1 loss to the Houston Astros, the Rangers are still “right there.”

“You have to remind yourself of a couple of things here – one of who we are and what we were for the most part this season, and we’re right there,” Bochy said. “As bad as things have looked – and trust me, these guys didn’t want to play like this tonight in front of our fans. You hate to see a game like this, but it’s going to turn with these guys. That’s part of my job is also believe, too.”

Going into Wednesday, the top two Wild Card spots are occupied by the Tampa Bay Rays (84-55) and Seattle Mariners (77-61). Texas is one game behind Seattle.

So as tight as the AL West is – Houston (79-61) leads the division by one game over the Mariners and two over Texas – the race for Wild Card berths should be just as spirited down the stretch. The Mariners, Blue Jays and Rangers are separated by just one game.

Toronto has a 67.8% chance to claim a Wild Card, according to FanGraphs. Houston and Seattle are 30.9% and 48.5%, respectively. Tampa Bay is at 74.1%. Texas sits at 47.0%.

As for just reaching the playoffs, which also includes odds to win a team’s respective division, the Astros have the best shot to keep playing beyond the regular season in the West at 95.5%. The Mariners are 74.3%.

So while the Rangers haven’t done themselves any favors over the last few weeks, they’re hardly out of it. Texas still has 24 games left in the regular season, including seven games against Seattle and three with Toronto. The season series with Houston ends Wednesday night with the Max Scherzer-Justin Verlander marquee matchup.

“It’s been a tough a go, but with that said, I just think it’s going to happen. It really is,” Bochy said of a turnaround in fortunes. “You go back to Spring Training and if you thought you’d be in this situation, you’d take it. We’re not in first place like we were, but we’re right there in the hunt. It’s better being in this position, trust me, with the way games have gone than being out of it. We’re right there.”

You can follow Art Garcia on Twitter @ArtGarcia92.

Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram.