Texas Rangers Now Betting Favorite to Make Playoffs

A three-game winning streak and the Seattle Mariners' four-game skid, propelled the Texas Rangers into being one of the three Wild Card favorites.

In the span of just three days, the Texas Rangers went from being a playoff also-ran to a playoff favorite.

Thanks to a three-game winning streak and a slide by the Seattle Mariners, the Rangers now have the third-best odds (57.1%) to claim one of the three American League Wild Card berths, according to FanGraphs.

The only clubs with better Wild Card chances are the Tampa Bay Rays (79.1%) and Toronto Blue Jays (73.8%). The Mariners, now fourth in the Wild Card chase, slipped behind Texas at 47.9%.

As far as making the playoffs, which includes the odds of winning the division, the Rangers are up to 64.3%. Seattle is 62.1% and Toronto stays static at 73.8%. (Either the Rays or Baltimore Orioles will win the AL East.) The Houston Astros have a 98.0% shot of reaching the postseason, with 78.5% being as AL West champ.

The probability race is as close as the actual playoff race.

Texas (79-64) is just a half-game behind the Blue Jays (80-64) for the second Wild Card, with the two teams meeting again Tuesday night in Toronto. The Rangers won the series opener 10-4 and send Max Scherzer to the mound for Game 2.

Seattle (79-65) is half-game back of Texas and 2.5 games behind the Astros (82-63) in the AL West. The Mariners have lost four in a row.

Texas had less than a 40% chance of making the playoffs before running off three straight wins. That’s meant a jump of 24%, showing how fortunes can change in a hurry. Seattle was at 88.2% before its current skid.

You can follow Art Garcia on Twitter @ArtGarcia92.

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