How difficult is the Texas Rangers’ path to playoffs compared to AL foes?
For much of the year, the Texas Rangers led the American League West division and played like one of the MLB’s best teams.
However, a late-season swoon has put their playoff aspirations in jeopardy. How do the Texas Rangers stack up against their playoff competitors over the final weeks of the regular season?
The Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners are fighting for three potential American League playoff berths: The AL West title and two wild card entries.
Record since August
The Rangers have a record of 16-17 since Aug. 1. Out of these AL playoff contenders, no team has a worse record over the stretch. Over the last 30 days, the Rangers have scored the fourth-fewest runs (103) in the Majors while their pitchers have the sixth-highest ERA (5.29).
The Mariners have been one of the hottest teams in the MLB during that stretch with a 23-10 record. A big reason for the Mariners’ success has been the play of All-Star outfielder Julio Rodriguez who has been hitting .380 with 10 home runs, 38 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. The Mariners have started to cool off going 5-5 in their last 10 games.
The Toronto Blue Jays currently have a half-game lead over the Rangers for the last AL Wild Card playoff spot. The Blue Jays have gone 18-15 since August in large part due to their pitching staff which has the fourth-best ERA (3.67) in the Majors over the last 30 days.
The Houston Astros have surged into first place in the AL West and lead the division by one game over Seattle. The Astros have gone 20-14 since August and have won seven out of their last 10 games. Three of those wins came in a dominant sweep of the Rangers. the Astros outscored the Rangers 39-10 in the series, hitting 16 home runs.
Injuries
The injury bug has hurt the Texas Rangers all year and hasn’t stopped amid their struggles. The team is without Jacob deGrom, Josh Jung, Brad Miller, Josh Sborz, and outfielder Adolis Garcia exited Wednesday’s game with a knee injury.
The Blue Jays have lost Hagen Danner, Bo Bichette, Danny Jansen, Erik Swanson, Brandon Belt and Matt Chapman.
The Astros have the fewest injuries on this list losing Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr. and Ryne Stanek.
The Mariners are without Easton Mcgee, Robbie Ray, Penn Murfee, Marco Gonzalez, Tom Murphy and Emerson Hancock.
Strength of Schedule
Out of these teams, the Rangers have the second-easiest strength of schedule and the 18th hardest in the MLB to end the season. The Rangers have two critical series against the Mariners and one against the Toronto Blue Jays that will have huge playoff implications.
The Mariners have the hardest strength of schedule out of the group and the ninth hardest in the MLB. Seattle plays five series against playoff contenders which include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays. The Mariners only play two series against losing teams for the rest of the year.
The Astros have the easiest schedule of the bunch, playing 12 of their final 21 games against losing teams. Only the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers have easier schedules to end the season.
The Blue Jays have the 12th hardest remaining schedule and only play one losing team for the rest of the season. The Blue Jays will play 10 games against the Tampa Bay Rays and Rangers in September.
Home Games
The Rangers have nine home games in their last 23 games and end the season on a seven-game road trip that concludes with a four-game series against the Mariners.
The Mariners play 13 of 23 games at home to close out the regular season and play their last seven games at home.
The Blue Jays have the most home games out of this group with 16 home games in their last 22 games.
The Astros have 12 home games and 11 away games before the regular season concludes and end the season on a six-game road trip.
