Rangers Win, Astros Lose as Texas Trims Magic Number, Closes in on AL West Lead

The Texas Rangers won their third straight game and took advantage of a loss in Houston to gain on the Astros in the division race.

Texas Rangers left fielder Brandon Nimmo. Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the Texas Rangers are going to catch the Houston Astros in the American League West, this is the formula that gets it done.

The Rangers beat the Athletics, 8-5, on Tuesday. The Rangers (69-70) dominated the game, but the Athletics rallied late to force the Rangers to use Jacob Latz in a save situation in a game they led 8-1 at one point.

New acquisition Trevor Williams gave up four hits and three runs in 1.1 innings of relief. Brandon Nimmo went 4-for-5 with a double and five RBI. Corey Seager had two doubles, while Elias Diaz and Wyatt Langford also had a double.

The Astros were at home facing the Chicago White Sox and lost, 5-1. That had direct implications on their race in the division.

AL West Race

Houston Astros second base Jose Altuve. Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Astros: 70-69

Rangers: 69-70 (one game back)

Magic Numbers to clinch playoff berth

Astros: 23

Rangers: 24

Due to the loss, the Astros were unable to trim their magic number to clinch. The Rangers trimmed their magic number by two with the win. The magic number to clinch a playoff berth drops by one game every time the Rangers win or every time the Astros lose. So those two things happening in combination on the same day is the best possible outcome for Texas.

Texas wraps up its series with the Athletics on Wednesday afternoon. The Astros continue their four-game series with the White Sox on Wednesday. Another Rangers win, combined with an Astros loss, ties the divisional lead. Houston has the tiebreaker over Texas, so the Rangers must win the division outright to clinch the No. 3 playoff seed.

AL Wild Card Race (Final Berth)

Cleveland Guardians second baseman Angel Genao. Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cleveland: 70-68

Texas: 69-70 (1.5 games behind)

Baltimore: 69-70 (1.5 games behind)

Toronto: 68-71 (2.5 games behind)

Magic Numbers

Cleveland: 23

Texas: 24

Baltimore: 24

Toronto: 24

Per sportsmagicnumbers.com, the Guardians have a magic number of 23 to clinch a playoff berth. They have one win on the Rangers and have played one fewer game so far this season. The Guardians won on Tuesday over the Blue Jays, who are chasing in the wild card race. Baltimore lost to the Colorado Rockies.

The Guardians’ magic number is tied to whichever team is closest to it in the standings, so for now that’s the Rangers and the Orioles. Cleveland hangs onto the final wild card berth in the AL and has been one of the hottest teams in the league the last two weeks with an 8-2 record in its last 10 games. That enabled them to overtake Texas, which held that last berth at times last week.

Cleveland and Texas will have played the same number of games by this weekend. The Guardians have a four-game series in Detroit this week, which includes a Friday doubleheader.