Rangers Lose Series, Remain in Driver’s Seat
By Ben Davila

The Texas Rangers lost two of three to the Houston Astros over the weekend, but they do still control their own destiny in the AL West with a week to go in the regular season.
Anticipation was high for Texas Rangers fans as a weekend tilt with the Houston Astros loomed. Coming off a sweep of the Oakland A’s in the middle of last week, Texas rolled into Minute Maid Park with a 3.5 game lead in the AL West.
And after winning the first game on Friday night and expanding the lead to 4.5 games, we could be forgiven for thinking another sweep was in the cards. The Astros looked spent. I said to a friend that they didn’t even have a case of the yips. They just looked exhausted; like a team that’s spent most of the season being chased.
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To their credit, however, the Astros won the final two contests to pull within 2.5 games of the division lead. They dug down deep on Saturday and Sunday. And they had to, really. The sense of urgency to hold serve and win the series must have been palpable in the Houston clubhouse. A loss in either of the final two games would’ve put them in a very tight spot with nary a week to go.
Now here we are. One week to go in a race where the Rangers can do something that’s been extraordinarily rare in the annals of baseball history. I’d written about them being that effin’ team a few weeks back, but this piece by Sports Illustrated‘s Katie Sharp provides some context about the historic run the Rangers are in the process of (hopefully) pulling off.
"This season hasn’t been for the bandwagoners. Only the die-hards can truly appreciate the peaks and valleys."
It’s been a pleasure to watch this team as the year has progressed. It hasn’t been without its growing pains, but this bunch has jelled when they absolutely had to. General manager Jon Daniels and manager Jeff Banister have to be given all the credit in the world for pulling the right strings and pushing the correct buttons to get the most out of this club.
The veteran leadership core must be given their due, as well. A season that looked abysmal turned around, in large part,due to Shin-Soo Choo and Elvis Andrus. Choo’s turned into the on-base machine the Rangers signed him to be. Elvis’s lapses in the field have been greatly minimized, and he’s found a power stroke heretofore unseen since he’s been with the club.
Adrian Beltre, Prince Fielder, and Mitch Moreland have provided the offensive glue that has held this thing together when the other cylinders weren’t firing. And lately, the whole team’s been firing. It’s been a beautiful thing to watch.
Indeed, this season hasn’t been for the bandwagoners as only the die-hards can truly appreciate the peaks and valleys.
Have the Rangers won anything yet? Aside from the hearts and minds of the Rangers’ faithful, no. But the team knows that, too. They’ve got unfinished business and a week’s worth of home games to tend to starting today.
Could they swoon and miss out on a division title altogether? Of course. Strange things can happen. Bats and arms can go cold. But this team just has a feel about them right now. If they take care of business at home this week, no one will have to worry about it. October baseball could soon make a glorious return to Globe Life Park.
As former manager Ron Washington once said, “It’s fun time now.”
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