How Rangers Fell Behind Athletics, Mariners in AL West Race Entering May

The Texas Rangers are still in the race to win the AL West, but these are the headwinds they face entering May.

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jacob Latz. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

When the Texas Rangers returned home on April 20, they were .500 and tied for the division lead with the Athletics.

Now, the Rangers (15-16) head to Detroit on Friday two games back of the Athletics (17-14), who are the division front-runners heading into May. Seattle (16-16) has surged back to .500 and is 1.5 games back of the Athletics, followed by the Rangers.

Behind them are the Houston Astros (12-20) and the Los Angeles Angels (12-20), each of which are 5.5 games back.

The AL West remains the most middling race in baseball. Only one team is above .500 and another is at .500. No other division has a race quite like what is developing here. It’s helped keep the Rangers in the race even though it’s been an average first month.

So, what to make of this? Here is how the Rangers got here.

Last 10 Games

Texas Rangers left fielder Alejandro Osuna (19) and second baseman Ezequiel Duran (20). | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The deficit for Texas can be explained by the last 10 games. The Rangers are 4-6 in their last 10 games, which includes the nine-game homestand, along with their last road game in Seattle. The Athletics are 6-4 in the last 10 games, including taking two out of three from the Rangers at Globe Life Field last weekend. Seattle is 7-3 in the last 10 games, which includes the Mariners’ series-ending win over the Rangers last month.

That’s the clear driver for the Athletics taking control of the race and the Mariners playing their way back into the race. The reason the A’s are ahead? After Seattle took two out of three from Texas, the Mariners lost two out of three games to the Athletics. That series win for the A’s is the difference in the lead.  

Division Records So Far

Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Rangers enter the weekend with a 7-6 record in division action, which gives them the second-most division wins in the AL West. Both the Athletics (8-5) and the Mariners (8-8) have more wins in division action. The Astros (3-8) and the Angels (4-3) have both played fewer games in league action than the other three teams.

For the Athletics, the 8-5 record in division play has helped boost their lead in the division, however slim over the Mariners. Seattle’s 8-8 record have helped the Mariners rally back from an awful start to the season.

Of note to the Rangers. The Athletics have a 4-3 record against Texas, and the Mariners have a 2-4 record against Texas. Division records are tiebreakers when it comes to the division title and the wild card berths. Texas has not played the Angels or the Astros yet.

Records Against .500 or Better Teams

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

No team in the AL West has played more teams at .500 or better than the Rangers, who are 8-8 in 16 games against those teams. It’s a significant disparity with the division leaders, as the Athletics are 4-2 and the Mariners are 4-6. Eight of the Rangers’ 15 wins have come against teams with record of .500 or better. One could look at that in two ways. The Rangers have played .500 baseball against quality teams, and the division leaders haven’t played that many quality teams yet. That tends to balance out over time.

On this road trip, Texas will play a .500 Detroit team and the AL East-leading New York Yankees. The Rangers will play at least four games against .500 or better teams on the trip, depending on how things go. When the Rangers get back home, they face three more of those games against the Chicago Cubs.

There’s little rest for a team trying to get out of a .500 rut.