Rangers still a viable wild card candidate in a weak field

The Texas Rangers have quietly put together a very solid month of August. As a result, they’re in the thick of the wild card hunt in the American League.

Admit it, once the Texas Rangers dealt Yu Darvish, you lost interest. The white flag had been raised to full mast. Time to get some prospects back, retool, and take another shot at it next year, right? Bring on football and let us know when spring training starts next year!

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to baseball irrelevance. Not to diminish the contributions of the departed, but sometimes addition by subtraction helps. Thus, losing the likes of Darvish and catcher Jonathan Lucroy seems to have revitalized this bunch to an extent.

Again, I do not think the Rangers are appreciably better now than they were before. But the weight of expectations isn’t affecting these guys like it was. At least the eyeball test suggests as much. In fact, judging by the unburdened baseball they’re playing lately, the mindset in the clubhouse has to be “Why not us?”

Now before anyone thinks I’m ready to christen these guys World Series champs, let me be clear: that is not the case. As far their chances go, the ceiling is a berth in the divisional round via the wild card game. And you know what? For this squad, that’s an acceptable outcome. This season continues to be a lesson in tempered presumption. But at the end of the day, if they stumble their way into game 163, I’ll be all-in, and I won’t be alone.

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Give me a surging Rougned Odor. Let me see a red-hot Nomar Mazara churn out home runs and RBI with that effortless swing. Throw in a healthy serving of Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre, and the offense will be fine down the stretch. The pitching is another story, of course. But since no other American League team seems intent on running away with this thing, meaningful baseball will continue until further notice. It certainly isn’t visions of championships to come, but if we’re being honest with ourselves, it’s enough for right now.

For anyone dismissing this notion, let me ask about the alternative. The Rangers could’ve easily folded their tents and retreated. They deserve credit for doing the exact opposite. As hard as I’ve been on the coaching, manager Jeff Banister gets full marks for circling the wagons and getting this team focused. It’s not flawless or pretty, but for this month, it’s been successful. Granted, they’re still chasing a few teams in their quest, but they’re keeping their eyes on the prize. Their resolve is admirable, and it is the sole reason I’ll be keeping in tune with these guys until they’re out of it.

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At the end of the day, the veteran presence on this club rules the day. Their flair for last day dramatics is well documented, splits with the lowly White Sox notwithstanding. Given their relative level of good health, there’s no reason to think October baseball is out of the question. So in the meantime, jump on the bandwagon. Judging by the attendance, there’s plenty of room.

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