Rangers Magic Number: Texas Closing in on Guardians, Final Wild Card Berth

The Texas Rangers had a good day against the Tampa Bay Rays. They had a better day when it came to the AL wild card race.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager and catcher Elias Díaz. Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texas Rangers started their four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays the right way, winning 6-0 at Globe Life Field.

The Rangers (70-71) got a home run from Corey Seager, a triple from Evan Carter and a double from Wyatt Langford as Texas collected nine hits off Rays pitching, led by left-handed starter Shane McClanahan.

Cal Quantrill was terrific for Texas. He only allowed two hits in seven innings, setting up Jakob Junis and Chase Silseth for one-inning stints out of the bullpen.

As for the playoff race, the Rangers stayed within striking distance of the AL West race but tightened up the AL wild card race with some help from the Toronto Blue Jays.

AL West Race

Houston Astros pitcher Bennett Sousa. Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Astros: 72-69

Rangers: 70-71 (two games back)

Astros Magic Number to Clinch Playoff Berth: 20

Texas knew it had to win on Thursday to stay within two games of the Astros, who beat the Chicago White Sox in a getaway game at Daikin Field. Houston won three of the four games in the series with the AL Central leaders and closed within 2.5 games of the second seed in the AL playoffs.

The Rangers are trying to catch the Astros for the division lead and Houston’s success against Chicago might allow the AL West winner to sneak into a first-round bye. Houston is back at home on Friday as the Astros host the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are trying to hang onto the final wild card berth in the NL playoffs.

AL Wild Card Race

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Andres Gimenez. Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cleveland: 70-70

Texas: 70-71 (0.5 games behind)

Toronto: 70-71 (0.5 games behind)

Baltimore: 69-72 (1.5 games behind)

Magic Numbers

Cleveland: 22

Texas: 22

Toronto: 22

Baltimore: 22

It was a good day for the Rangers in the wild card race. The Cleveland Guardians lost to the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, allowing Texas to close within one-half game of the final wild card berth. The thing is, the Blue Jays also cut their deficit in the race to one-half game. All four teams have the same magic number, per sportsmagicnumbers.com. It appears Cleveland is cooling off a bit while the Rangers and the Blue Jays may be heating up again. That could make for some great baseball at Globe Life Field in a couple of weekends. The Rangers host the Blue Jays from Sept. 18-20. That series is shaping up to matter.