Carpe Datum

Rallying Rangers

The Rangers Are In the Hunt!

When we last left our continuing coverage of the Texas Rangers, they were just barely in first place ahead of Oakland and heading in to Baltimore for a four game set (that I thought was three at the time). Well, lowly Baltimore flattened Texas, taking four straight. Oakland, meanwhile, continued their hot streak that started when they beat up on the Rangers after the All-Star Break.

If you had told me then that over the next 20 games, Oakland would go about 16-4, I would've written off the Rangers. But the Rangers somehow woke up after Baltimore, and they've gone something like 15-5, sweeping lots of series (just finished taking two of three from Baltimore in Texas) and splitting with the very good Twinkies.

Unfortunately, the other two contenders for the wild-card spot have also been smokin'. Texas went 9-1 over one stretch before this week, and Anaheim and Boston matched them. Seems like even when Texas has swept a series, they just can't gain any ground. And so after today, they will remain 2-3 games out for the wild card and looking forward to a very tough week with games in Minnesota and Boston. That series next weekend in Boston will be a great one if Texas can stay close until then.

Hell, this team is so hot (but so desperate for a starting pitcher) that even Chan Ho Stink came back from minor league purgatory to pitch a victory. Anything is possible this season. It is going to be a fun September, which is pretty rare in Ranger country, even if we don't end up in the playoff crapshoot.

Posted by Observer at August 29, 2004 04:36 PM