The Texas Rangers have put themselves back in the hunt, but the AL West still leaves them no room to breathe.
Texas beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 on Tuesday night at home, moving to 75-76 and stretching its winning streak to three games. At the same time, Houston matched that exact score against the Kansas City Royals, which kept the Rangers one game back in the division.
That gap looks manageable on the surface, but it comes with a catch. The Rangers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Astros, so simply pulling even in the standings would not be enough. Texas would still need to finish ahead of Houston to claim the division title.
The clubs will not face each other again in the regular season, so the race is now about finishing cleaner over the final stretch than the other side does. With 11 games left, Texas has at least earned the chance to make that push.
Tuesday night gave the Rangers another encouraging sign. Jacob deGrom was sharp in his return to Globe Life Field, striking out eight and allowing two runs over five innings after recently dealing with groin tightness.
The damage for Texas came in the second inning, when the Rangers piled up all four of their runs. Elias Diaz delivered a two-run double, and Corey Seager followed with a two-run single to break the game open.
Jacob Latz closed it out and picked up his 30th save of the season.
The timing matters for Texas, because this is the club’s final homestand of the regular season. After the Boston series, the Rangers will host the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets before finishing on the road against the Minnesota Twins.
Houston, though, is still doing its part to stay in front. Jeremy Pena hit two home runs Tuesday night against Kansas City, and Yordan Alvarez added more power with his 39th homer of the season.
The Astros will spend time at home as well, with the Royals coming in before a series against the Atlanta Braves.
Texas has climbed back into the race, but catching Houston is only step one. With 11 games left, the Rangers have to finish the job.
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