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Although the American League West appears to be all but wrapped up with the Los Angeles Angels continuing to deliver outstanding results, however it is still too early to count the Texas Rangers out of the Wild Card chase. Texas is 15 games out of the division lead but just eight games out of Wild Card position and a favorable schedule will close out the season.
Colorado rode a great offense and timely pitching to the playoffs last season with an incredible run in September and Texas has the offensive power to get on a great roll late in the year. The pitching has been and continues to be what is holding the Rangers back but none of the other contenders in the AL appear ready to take a hold of the Wild Card spot as every team has serious flaws and much tougher schedules await the other teams in Wild Card contention.
The Rangers are greatly aided by the high scoring home ballpark but Texas is hitting .282 on the season while averaging 5.7 runs per game. Texas is also one of the top teams in the AL in taking walks so the Rangers get a lot of extra opportunities. The production is not coming just at home as the Rangers own the fourth best team average in baseball on the road while still averaging 5.3 runs scored per game, more than most teams score at home.
The pitching numbers are very poor for the Rangers both home and away but the home ballpark is a huge factor. All batters are hitting .293 in Arlington and there is average of over 12 runs per game being scored. Texas is generally able to outscore opponents at home with its great offense and Texas is actually 30-33 in road games this season, which is the second highest number of road wins in the entire AL.
The upcoming schedule for the Rangers should provide the opportunity to pick up games on the other AL Wild Card contenders. Texas will play 24 of the remaining 42 games at home and 24 of the remaining games are against losing teams that have no hope of making the playoffs. Texas must play the Angels ten times still this season but the Rangers have gone 4-5 against Los Angeles so far this season the Angels will have little to play for down the stretch. Since they are in the same division and are familiar with each other facing the Angels is not as daunting for the Rangers as it would be for most other teams.
After finishing up this week’s series in Boston, Texas will not play any other winning teams on the road other than the Angels for the rest of the season. The Rangers host series with Tampa Bay and Boston so there will also be opportunities to directly gain ground in the standings but Detroit, Cleveland, Seattle, Kansas City, and Oakland will make up most of the remaining games.
Boston is the current wild card leader and the Red Sox are a force to be reckoned with given their recent history of success. If Tampa Bay holds course in the AL East which is questionable, Boston would be the team in the best shape to earn the Wild Card. Boston faces a very tough schedule however. 32 of the remaining 42 games for the Red Sox are against winning teams and although Boston will be at home for slightly more of those games it will be a tough finish and the pitching staff could be worn out. Toronto will hold the key for the Red Sox as those teams face off twelve times in the final six weeks and facing the strong Blue Jay pitching staff is not an ideal way to close the year.
Minnesota and Chicago have been going back-and-forth in the AL Central standings but it does not appear that either team will be strong enough to contend for a Wild Card berth given the schedules ahead. Minnesota is about to embark on an insane road stretch, playing 24 of 30 games away from home featuring travel to both coasts and Chicago closes the year with ten of the last 13 games on the road. The White Sox also have Boston, Tampa Bay, New York, and Los Angeles left on the schedule. Either the Twins or the White Sox will likely make the playoffs via the division title but the Wild Card is more likely to come elsewhere.
A lot of people still believe the Yankees have a late season run in them to get into the division or the Wild Card picture but time is running out. The Yankees have 29 games remaining against winning teams and close the year with 16 of the last 26 games on the road. The Yankees will also face a brutal travel stretch to start September going to Detroit, Tampa, Seattle, and Los Angeles in an eight-day span. With a thin pitching rotation and an offense that has little spark New York will have a tough time getting through this closing schedule, let alone making up ground on several quality teams.
The Rays have suffered key injuries in the last few days and the closing schedule for Tampa Bay is also problematic. This could leave a window of opportunity open for the Rangers if Boston or Tampa Bay fall apart and New York, Chicago, and Minnesota keep playing at a mediocre pace. The Rays play 17 of the last 25 games on the road where they have struggled and September starts with 19 straight games against winning teams in this playoff chase.
The Blue Jays are another team that could be presented with a similar opportunity to the Rangers as Toronto will play most of the remaining games against the teams involved in this playoff picture. Toronto will have to win against a much tougher schedule than the Rangers face but if they get on a roll they will make up ground quickly.
Texas is still a long shot sitting eight games out of the playoff picture with Tampa Bay and Boston looking like legitimate contenders but if one of those teams runs into problems the door could open for a Texas offense that can put up huge numbers. Texas has a lot of ground to make up but the Rangers have a schedule that can provide them with a great opportunity.
