Does Odor have something in reserve for Rangers’ final 20 games?

After watching Rougned Odor walk out of the Texas Rangers’ clubhouse early Sunday evening, it was apparent that he had a chance to be in their starting lineup Monday.

No limp because of his sore left ankle. Usual pace. No grimace on his face.

Plus, it’s September, when no one feels great.

A Grade 2 hamstring strain, like the one Adrian Beltre has, would have kept Odor out. A high ankle sprain, like the one Carlos Gomez has, would have, too.

But not a mild sprain, not in September, not with his team in the hunt for a wild-card spot.

So, Odor was good enough to play and in the lineup behind left-hander Cole Hamels as the Rangers defeated the Seattle Mariners 5-3 to close within two games of Minnesota for the second wild card.

Odor knows what he’s done and hasn’t done this season, what it would mean to the Rangers if he were to get hot the rest of the season, and he said that he has some good ball left in him for the final 20 games.

“I think I can hit a little better,” said Odor, who went 0-for-3 Monday as his batting average sank to .212. “But right now I don’t worry about my numbers. I just worry about winning the games. I think we’ve been playing really well the last week, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing until the end of the season.

“Gomez and AB are out. That’s one of the reasons I want to play no matter what. I think I can do a lot. I’m just going to be focused and I’m just going to try to do my best to win the games. That’s what we need right now, to win the games no matter what.”

Odor took a .213 batting average and 28 homers with 66 RBIs into Monday’s game. The power numbers aren’t anything to sneeze at, but the average and the strikeouts (140), the long droughts (current 10-for-72 skid) and the sloppy defense (league-high 17 errors among second baseman) have conspired to make his season a disappointment overall.

The one thing he has done consistently is play, and play hard, every day. The play on which he twisted his ankle was a pop-up down the right-field line that he chased the whole way until Nomar Mazara slid into his legs and sent him tumbling.

Odor’s toughness and effort can’t be called into question, no matter what people want to make of his season.

“That’s a good statement,” manager Jeff Banister said. “He still has been a power producer for us. When he’s on base, he utilizes his legs to score for us. He’s still a threat.

“He’s a tough player. We’ve seen him go on streaks. Right now, he says he can go. We feel good about it. The medical staff feels good about it, so we’re going to run him out there.”

It hasn’t been easy for Odor, who dealt with tightness in both hamstrings earlier in the season, but he is on the verge of reaching one of his goals for the season. Not many players get to play in all 162 games.

“In spring training one of my goals was playing every day, every single game this season. I’m really happy for that,” Odor said. “Sometimes you’re going to feel tired, sometimes something is going to hurt, but as soon as I cross those lines, I just forget about everything and do my best.”

The point Odor made about the lineup having a shortage of punch is somewhat accurate. Beltre’s absence can’t be understated, and the loss of Gomez takes away another power threat and a quality defender.

Mazara (quad) and Robinson Chirinos (hamstring) are playing through nagging injuries that at another time in the season would merit at least a few days off.

Add in the potential effect a winning series could have against a club that was only a half-game behind them in the standings, and the Rangers need their best players on the field.

The Rangers made a commitment earlier in the season to stick with Odor despite his struggles, not to mention the financial commitment (a six-year, $49.5 million extension) made in April.

“I know nothing’s broke, so that’s why I’m playing today,” Odor said. “These are big series coming, and that’s why I want to play. No matter how I feel, I just want to do my best to help my team.”

AL wild-card standings

This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Does Odor have something in reserve for Rangers’ final 20 games?."