Rangers Must Break Cycle of Unrelenting Mediocrity to Make Playoffs

The Texas Rangers are in the AL West race because the division is average. But they can’t break away from it for the same reason.

Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The American League West has been its own absurd animal this season. All one must to do is look at the standings.

As play begins on Thursday the Houston Astros (60-58) have a 1.5 game lead on the Texas Rangers (60-61). But the Astros are only two games above .500 and were under .500 for most of the season before taking control of the division lead two weeks ago.

All five teams in the division have a negative run differential. No one has outscored their opponents for the season.

While the division race is reminiscent of 1994, when all four AL West teams finished under .500 when the players struck and the season was ultimately cancelled, this campaign will be different. For instance, there will be a World Series. There are no plans to strike or lockout players before the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1.

The Rangers are a game under .500 after Wednesday's loss. Texas needs a win on Thursday night to get back to .500 and, perhaps, cut the Astros lead to one game, as Houston is off. But a win only reinforces the cycle of mediocrity the Rangers have been mired in for more than a year. It’s enough to blow one’s mind.

The Rangers’ Unrelenting Mediocrity

Texas Rangers pitcher Chase Silseth. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texas Rangers’ communications staff puts out game notes for the media before each game. Recently, those notes highlighted the team’s record since the start of last season. So, it’s easy to do the math moving forward in terms of what Thursday’s win would mean.

If Texas beats the Angels on Thursday, it would make the Rangers:

Last 12 Games: 6-6

Last 22 Games: 11-11

Last 32 Games: 16-16

Last 112 Games: 56-56

Since start of 2025 Season: 142-142

The Rangers cannot get away from 500. It's almost uncanny. The Rangers led the division early in the season but never got more than 1.5 games ahead of the field. After they fell behind Seattle in late April, the Rangers were never more than three games out of the lead.

Texas fell below .500 on May 2 in Detroit and were unable to get back to .500 until it beat Kansas City on the road on June 11. In between Texas never fell further back that three games in the division race at its worst they were five games under .500 after a loss to the Houston Astros on May 28 (25-31).

The Rangers clawed back into it. They got the division lead back on July 9 when the beat the Angels at home and got a game over .500 (47-46). That put Texas in position to hang onto the lead going into the All-Star break. The Rangers pushed the lead to as many as two games early after the break. But a six-game losing streak — including a sweep at the hands of the Astros in Houston — dropped them to 55-58 and in second place. Texas then put together a four-game winning streak to get one game over .500 (59-58) and continue to hover there.

The biggest reason Texas is still in this division race is because the division is so average. If this were any other season, the Rangers would likely be scuffling for just a wild card berth. But as long as everyone else remains average, the Rangers have a chance. But at some point they must break this cycle of mediocrity — for the better.