ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The mode had changed completely for the Texas Rangers by time they got back to the ballpark for their home finale while still trying to get in the playoffs.
"Coming into today, it just felt like ... we still have a heartbeat, still have a pulse and felt like we'd come out and play the game with our chest out and our chin up,” manager Skip Schumaker said after a 3-1 win in their series finale Thursday against the New York Mets.
That assured the Rangers (79-80) at least a share of the AL West lead with Houston going into the final weekend of the regular season. Texas plays three games in Minnesota, with two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom (11-10) scheduled to start the series opener Friday night.
The Astros (78-80), who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas for the AL's last available playoff spot, started a four-game series at the Athletics on Thursday night.
When Texas players were leaving their clubhouse after a 7-2 loss to the Mets on Wednesday night, their third defeat in a row, the Astros already had a 4-0 lead in the third inning in Seattle. They appeared on way to a one-game division lead, really a two-game edge since the Rangers have to finish ahead of them. But the Mariners rallied to win in 10 innings.
“It really keeps you in it. (The Astros) win last night, it’s definitely an uphill battle. So you take advantage of it, and fortunately we were able to,” shortstop Corey Seager said.
“Everybody’s eyes were in Seattle last night,” third baseman Josh Jung said. "I know we were all texting about it on the group chat. So definitely came in revitalized this morning.”
Jung, who has played only 11 games since missing nearly two months with a left calf strain, had a two-run homer in the first inning Thursday that put the Rangers ahead to stay. Seager snapped an 0-for-15 slide with his 19th homer leading off the sixth.
In this season when it will never be more than three games out of the division lead, Texas has to try to finish one game ahead of Houston.
When the Rangers won their only World Series title in 2023, they went into the postseason as the second wild card after Houston matched them at 90-72 on the final day of the regular season. The Astros also had the tiebreaker then, but this time there will not be a postseason spot for a second AL West team.
“I’m not even thinking about that. I’m thinking about tomorrow, winning tomorrow. That’s it,” said Schumaker, the first-year Rangers manager who took Miami to the NL playoffs as a wild card team in 2023. “Jacob deGrom's on the hill, and we have Corey Seager playing short, and JJ playing third, and I’m really excited about what the lineup looks like."
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