The Texas Rangers lost a series to the New York Yankees over the weekend as a 2024 playoff berth continues to slip away from the defending World Series Champions.
Texas split a doubleheader with the Yankees on Saturday before losing the series’ final game on Sunday, leaving New York eight games under .500 with a record of 55-63.
The Rangers failed to score a single run in their first loss of the series and were unable to score until the sixth inning in the second, forcing the team to play a different style of baseball as it attempted to come back in the game.
Manager Bruce Bochy said after the series that the team would “love to get some runs early and play with the lead,” but the offense has struggled to score early in games, leaving the team in poor situations.
“It’s a lot easier to do that than coming from behind. It’s a little bit of a rut that we’re in. We’ve talked about it. The starters have been pretty tough on us the first five innings. If we had a silver bullet or if we could do something [to change that] we definitely would do it,” he said, per MLB.com.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Rangers were already running out of time to make a push for the playoffs. They now sit 7.5 games behind the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners for first place in the American League West division.
Texas had an opportunity to be one of the biggest sellers at the July 30 trade deadline, but the team chose to make very few moves due to a winning stretch that seemingly gave life back to the organization — a move that is beginning to look like a mistake.
The Rangers managed to put together a record of just 3-7 since the trade deadline, including a series loss against the Astros. They are now even further back in the standings, with only 44 left in the season.
While this season has not gone the way the organization expected, there is still some hope for a playoff berth because of the Rangers’ schedule in the second half of the season.
Texas will match up against Seattle seven more times this season, meaning the Rangers could make up significant ground if they perform well during these games.
Surpassing the Astros will be the most difficult task the Rangers face for the remainder of the season.
The two teams will not face off again this season, and Houston has shown no signs of slowing down from a recent hot streak. According to Statmuse, they have a record of 25-15 over their last 40 games.
The Rangers will have to begin stacking wins at an even higher rate than initially thought while hoping the Astros stumble into a cold streak.
Texas will begin a three-game series in Boston against the Red Sox on Monday at 6 p.m. before traveling back to Arlington for two series against the Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates.