Texas Rangers could be team to watch in AL Wild Card race

Trading Yu Darvish seemed like a white flag at the time, but the Texas Rangers suddenly look like serious contenders for a playoff spot. Here’s why you should believe in them.

When the Texas Rangers traded starting pitcher Yu Darvish in the waning minutes before the July 31 trade deadline, surely that was the realistic end of their playoff hopes for 2017, right? While Texas probably wouldn’t mind having Darvish still around, his departure was hardly the death knell most expected.

Like the Minnesota Twins, the Rangers sold right before the deadline only to see themselves storm back into the postseason hunt over the past couple weeks. Owners of a 9-5 record in August and winners of seven of their last 10, the Rangers have soared to just two games behind the Los Angeles Angels for the AL’s second Wild Card berth.

If you take a closer look at the AL Wild Card standings, you might notice something else interesting about Texas. With the exception of the New York Yankees, current occupiers of the top Wild Card slot, the Rangers are the only non-division-leading squad in the AL with a positive run differential. They hold a +26 mark, while the four teams in front of them – the Angels, Royals, Twins and Mariners – all range from -5 to -57.

In fact, Texas’ Pythagorean record, which projects a club’s record based on run differential, suggests they should be three games better than their 59-60 mark. At 62-57, they would hold a slight edge over the Halos for the second Wild Card spot.

It’s quite a reversal from last season, when the Rangers boasted the American League’s best record at 95-67, but sported just a +8 run differential which suggested they should have been closer to 82-80. From the league’s top club to barely above .500 – that’s quite a disparity.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this year’s Rangers haven’t had great luck in close games. They’re only 10-19 in contests decided by one run. If Texas can turn the tide in that regard over the final month and a half, they could continue making a run toward October baseball.

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However, during the team’s recent success, the offense has played a starring role. The Rangers have averaged 6.9 runs over their last seven games, winning six of them. Shortstop Elvis Andrus continues to enjoy a bounce-back campaign; he’s slashing a torrid .397/.444/.655 with two home runs and seven RBI in the month of August. He’s already doubled his previous career high with 16 long balls on the year.

Homers have certainly been Texas’ calling card in 2017. They’ve hit 186 of them, trailing only the 191 managed by their intrastate rivals in Houston. Joey Gallo leads the crew with 35 – including 10 already this month – while a total of nine Rangers have sent at least 10 balls out of the park. It’s admittedly somewhat of an all-or-nothing lineup, however: Texas’ .244 team batting average ranks just 26th in the majors.

The Rangers’ pitching staff hasn’t been much to write home about with a 15th-ranked 4.43 ERA overall, but it’s done a better job lately. Rangers pitchers have allowed three runs or fewer in seven of their 14 games in the month of August. Even with Darvish gone, Cole Hamels fits the bill of an ace. He’s put up a 2.93 ERA over his last nine starts. Andrew Cashner continues to exceed expectations as well with a 3.32 ERA on the year.

Next: Possible August waiver trade candidates

The exciting thing about the AL playoff race is that it truly feels like anyone’s game at the moment. It would have seemed outlandish just over two weeks ago, but the Rangers might be the team to keep your eye on among the fray. With an agreeable end to their schedule that includes seven of their last 10 games against lowly Oakland, don’t be surprised to see them there right to the end.

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