The Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels 7-4 on Sunday night to secure a series victory and keep their playoff hopes alive, however, it may be too little, too late as the season comes to a close.
The Rangers defeated the Angels in three out of four games, scoring at least three runs in each victory and putting up just one run in the team’s single loss to Los Angeles.
Starting pitcher Andrew Heaney said earlier this season that he wanted the team to “play loose and free at the end” of the season, noting that this play style could help them relax and improve their performance.
The Rangers must have taken his advice to heart as they have put together an impressive stretch, helping the team accumulate a record of 7-3 over their past 10 games.
“When you play well, the looseness happens. When you’re loose, the winning continues,” he said, per The Dallas Morning News.
Despite this recent stretch from the defending World Series Champions, it remains highly unlikely that the team will be able to string together enough wins to make a legitimate run for the playoffs.
Texas sits 7.5 games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West Division with only 18 games remaining in the season.
Additionally, the Astros also hold the tiebreaker over the Rangers due to previous games played this season, meaning the Rangers are effectively 8.5 games behind Houston for the guaranteed playoff spot.
With the Astros currently on pace to win roughly 87 games this season, the Rangers would either have to rely on a Houston collapse or go nearly undefeated to close the gap.
Regardless, the Rangers should begin looking ahead for ways to improve the team for the 2025 season, which is something the franchise has already seemingly begun to do.
The Rangers recently promoted shortstop Sebastian Walcott to Double-A Frisco for the rest of the team’s season, indicating that the team would like to see the 18-year-old play more baseball over the coming months, per DMN.
Although he will not provide immediate support for the Rangers at the end of their season, he has the potential to make an impact in the coming years with the franchise.
Texas will continue its season with two straight road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners beginning on Tuesday.