Rangers Win, Trim Magic Number While Keeping Pace in AL Playoff Race

The Texas Rangers got exactly what they needed on Monday night.

It wasn't just that they beat the Athletics, 8-1, at Globe Life Field. It was how they did it.

Jacob deGrom was excellent on the mound, as he gave up one hit across seven innings and struck out eight. He gave the bullpen great coverage.

The Rangers grabbed a lead in the second inning and never let up. Justin Foscue hit his 10th home run in the season while both Jake Burger and Logan O’Hoppe each hit a double.

The Rangers (68-70) are still under .500, but they improve their record at home to 37-29. If Texas is truly going to make a run at the postseason it will have to rack up the wins at home, where the Rangers have 15 more games after Monday’s victory.

So how did Monday's victory impact their playoff hopes and their magic number? Let's explore that below.

AL West Race

Houston Astros pitcher Steven Okert throws a baseball to a hitter during a game. — Houston Astros pitcher Steven Okert. Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Houston (70-68) defeated the Chicago White Sox, so the Rangers made up no ground there. Both the Astros and Rangers have won six of their last 10 games and are on two game winning streaks. Both are also at home this week.

With Houston’s win it trimmed its magic number to clinch a playoff berth to 23, which is a combination of Astros wins and Rangers losses. Texas did keep Houston from improving its magic number further. The Rangers have a magic number of 25, which is their wins and Astros losses.

The Rangers remain two games behind the Astros in the AL West. Texas must win three more games than Houston down the stretch. That's because Houston owns the tiebreaker based on the season series.

The Astros host the White Sox through Thursday and then get a three-game series at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

AL Wild Card Race

Cleveland (69-68) remained in the lead for the final AL wild card berth, but the Rangers are now 1.5 games behind because the Guardians were off on Monday. Cleveland is gearing up for a three-game series with Toronto (68-70) which starts on Tuesday. The Blue Jays are also 1.5 games behind the Guardians. Baltimore (68-69) was a game back going into its game on Monday with the Colorado Rockies.

Cleveland’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth remained at 25. The Guardians play three games with the Blue Jays before they head to Detroit to play four games with the Tigers, including a doubleheader on Friday. It's a particularly brutal schedule for Cleveland but the Guardians have been one of the hottest teams in the American League. The Rangers do own the tiebreaker over the Guardians should they end up tied, but that's only in the event of a two-way tie for a wild card berth.

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