After their seventh loss in a row, the Rangers magic number still stands at one.
One more win or one Oakland loss and the Rangers clinch a fourth-place finish and avoid finishing in last for the second time in the past four years.
Or, to put it another way, since 2014, the Rangers have a 50 percent chance of being the best team in the west, and a 50 percent chance of being the worst team.
This was just another game where the Rangers offense failed to show up. In the seven-game losing streak, the Rangers have scored just ten runs.
Coincidentally, this was also their seventh loss in a row to Oakland. Texas has scored just nine runs in those seven games.
It’s bad offense all around. And Adrian Beltre is finished for the season, so that doesn’t help.
Oakland is playing for something: not finishing last for three seasons in a row. Texas is playing because they are contractually obligated to fulfil the TV time.
It shows.
They also seem to be playing for some odd reason to get Rougned Odor in every game, as if to punctuate this miserable season with a big loud exclamation point.
But the challenge is limiting him to just ten more at-bats the rest of the way.
Eleven more and he falls under .200.
So there’s that.
*****
TODAY’S GAME:
Raul Alcantara (1-1, 6.86) vs. Martin Perez (12-12, 4.83)
Game time: 7:05
How the Athletics hit against Perez.
How the Rangers hit against Alcantara.