Sep 17, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia (53) watches fans catch Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) (not pictured) home run ball in the fifth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
In the last week of play, the Texas Rangers have eliminated themselves from the post season. They needed to not get swept by the struggling Houston Astros (they got swept) and they needed to win the series at the least against the Miami Marlins (they got swept again).
Last we talked on here, the Rangers were hot in the mix for a playoff birth. Now they are unofficially eliminated.
What Went Right
The pitching remains the strong point of this team. The pitching staff has propped this team up the entire season.
The defense has also been very good. The little rascals helped secure the long run the Rangers went on, winning 16 out of 20 games before the slide they are currently on.
“I think the most frustrating part is that we clawed back so well,” Merrill Kelly said to the media after the Rangers 7th straight loss Sunday according to the Rangers website. “We put together a lot of good games. We put ourselves in such a good position just to turn around and kind of give it away. My time here has been up and down. I think with how hard we fought to put us in a spot where we could really end the season on something special. To turn around and get swept in Houston, and then obviously get swept here is probably the most frustrating part.”
The team is no longer in contention for the AL West crown, and just barely hanging on to Wild Card hopes.
“We’re in a funk and just not scoring runs” manager Bruce Bochy said after Sunday’s loss to the Marlins. “That’s what happened again today, [The Marlins] pitched great in the series, they swung the bats…they played great baseball.”
What Went Wrong
The Ranger are now 0-7 since bringing Adolis Garcia back off the injured list. He wants to contribute, but it is obvious he is not healthy.
That is not to say I blame Garcia for the current skid, it just happened to start when he came off the IL. There are 25 other guys on the team that have to do their jobs and were not doing that.
The Rangers have 3 home games left this season, and they are against the Minnesota Twins. Just like the Marlins, the Twins have been struggling as well.
We’ve been saying this for a few weeks, but the Rangers have zero margin for error. They have to sweep the last two series to have a chance to make the playoffs.
I try to be an optimistic guy, but I have absolutely no faith that can happen. If they lose even one game against the Twins, the Guardians series means nothing for the Rangers.
The Texas team had a great 1st half of September, but then eliminated themselves from playoff contention by falling short in the lats 7 days. Hopefully 2026 writes a different story on this club.
Tags: Adolis Garcia Merrill Kelly Rangers TexasRangers
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