Beltre scores the deciding run.

After stopping their free fall by winning three of four from a very good Cleveland Indians team, the Rangers are looking at the stretch run with a huge lead of 8.5 games over Houston and Seattle, with just thirty-one games left to play.

It would take a monumental collapse for the Rangers not to win the west. A collapse like no team has ever witnessed since Texas way back in 2012 or 2013. Or like the Astros in 2015.

This team is too good and too deep to have that happen.

Their remaining schedule is:

Three at home against the Mariners.
Off day.
Three at home against the Astros
Four away at Seattle.
Three away at Los Anaheim.
Three away at Houston.
Off day.
Three at home against the Athletics.
Three at home against the Angels.
Off day.
Three on the road at Oakland
Three at home against the Brewers.
Off day.
Three at home against the Rays.

So, twenty-five of the next next thirty-one games are against division rivals. And that bodes well for the Rangers. By far their best record against any division is against the West. They are playing .694, in fact, against teams from their division.

But that is helped by the continued domination of the Houston Patsies.

For the remainder of the season, it’s about figuring out the rotation—and Derek Holland has had two dominating stars in a row since coming off the DL—and figuring out the lineup. Carlos Gomez slugged a home run in his first Rangers at-bat but has since reverted back to Carlos Gomez, going 0-for-14 since then.

As a Ranger he is batting .067. Vegas odds have it a 1-for-200 before he gets another hit as a Ranger.

But it won’t matter. The Rangers should waltz into the playoffs.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Hisahi Iwakuma (11-5, 3.90) vs. Yu Darvish (5-6, 492)
Game time: 7:05

How the Mariners hit against Darvish.
How the Rangers hit against Iwakuma.