Suddenly, the Rangers are, well, winning. Eight of their last ten, in fact. Of course, it helps to start any good winning stretch by playing the White Sox.

They swept the White Sox in three, beat Oakland two out of three, beat the Yankees two out of three, and won the first of three against the Angels.

Suddenly, they are getting starting pitching. And offense. Yes, offense. Even stranger is that they are getting offense after their only real offensive threat this season, Corey Seager, went down, probably for the rest of the season.

But the Rangers are now 2-0 without Seager.

Of course, it helps to have an 8-2 run by playing bad teams. There’s no team ever worse than the White Sox. And as bad as the Rangers have been, the Athletics and Angels are worse. So, the real surprise was winning two of three against the Yankees.

But as it is now, the Rangers are playing for a bit of pride. Maybe they can get to .500. That might be a moral victory. Right now they are five games under .500, with twenty one left to play, meaning they would have to go 13-8 in their last twenty-one games. 

They have six more with the Angels. Two with the Diamondbacks. Seven with the Mariners. Three with the Blue Jays. Three with the Athletics.

The only team over .500 is the Diamondbacks. They are the only team the rest of the way fighting for a playoff spot. The Mariners, like the Rangers, still have a mathematical chance, but, like the Rangers, not a realistic one.

Are there thirteen more wins there? 

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TODAY’S GAME: