Great races.


One of the few bright spots in this season, Adolis Garcia drives in his 86th run of the season with a double in the Rangers 7-4 win.

Occasionally, one looks up from the car wreck that is the Rangers franchise at the MLB landscape. There is some pretty darn compelling baseball going on.

The Cardinals have won sixteen games in a row. That’s a franchise record. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you know the Rangers played the Cardinals in the 2011 World Series. Since then, they have been to the playoffs six times. It will be seven after this season. In that time, they have had zero seasons under .500, including this one.

The Rangers, by comparison, have made the playoffs just three times since then. It will remain three after this season. In that time, they have had six seasons under .500, including this one.

Over in the N.L. West, the Giants are defying all odds and still clinging to first by the thinnest of margins. 

You will recall the Rangers played the Giants in the 2010 World Series. Since then, the Giants have been to the playoffs three times. It will be four times after this season. Twice, they won the World Series. They have had five seasons under .500. 

There’s a pretty fierce battle for the Wild Card in the American League between the Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays and Mariners. The Red Sox had a nice lead until they were just swept in a four-game series by the Yankees. Now New York leads Boston by one game and Boston leads Toronto by one game. Seattle is clinging on, two games behind Boston for that second wild card spot with the last week of the season left. Really, it’s anybody’s to win. Any of those four teams could make it, and any of the four teams could fall out of it. 

In the N.L. East, the Braves lead the Phillies by 2.5 games. They start a three-game series against one another tomorrow.

Heading into this final week of the season, there is still a lot of great baseball left to play. You can watch these games and imagine one day one of those playoff teams will be wearing Rangers uniforms. 

*****