Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst Jake Mintz and senior MLB analyst Jordan Shusterman talk about where the Texas Rangers stand in terms of clinching a Wild Card spot. Hear the full conversation on the “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
The Texas Rangers.
Jake Mintz, who are on a 6-game winning streak.
The Rangers are approaching 20% playoff odds, and they’re only a game and a half behind the Seattle Mariners for the 3rd AL wild card spot.
I think what’s really glaring, as you look at the Rangers in the standings, is this +94 run differential, OK?
I mean, this late in the season to have a run differential that is third best in the American League, behind only the Red Sox and Yankees, that’s better than the Tigers, that’s better than the Blue Jays.
Better than the Mariners, right?
By a lot.
The schedule is interesting.
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It is pretty tough, upcoming in the next few weeks.
They are going to have to earn it.
They have these last few games in Arizona, they go home for Houston and Milwaukee, then they’re, on another road trip to the Mets and to the Astros.
Then it eases up a little bit with the Marlins and Twins at home.
They finish here in Cleveland.
So in some ways, you know, they’re not playing Seattle again, so that number one team that they’re chasing, or the Red Sox or the Yankees for that matter.
So they’re not going to be able to make up ground there necessarily, but they do play Houston and, they can really prove it to people like us who are just like, is this team any good if they can show well against, you know, Arizona, against the Mets, against the Brewers.
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I am rooting for the Texas Rangers to stay in the mix.
Because the risk and the stakes involved with one of the teams currently in playoff position, getting bounced from that, to me, will provide much greater theater and drama here over the last month.
The Rangers being involved and sticking around and being that 13th team that we’ve been looking for all summer, I think is a good thing.
Now, do I think it’s real?
No, I think there’s an element here of us wanting to believe that this is significant, right?
We did this with Kansas City, we did this with Cleveland, like, I still will never believe in the Reds, this team, this Reds team.
Let’s talk in a week.
Let’s circle back.