The Texas Rangers won on Wednesday night to snap their losing streak, but defeat struck at their doorstep again on Thursday afternoon at Globe Life Field. The Minnesota Twins shut out the Rangers 4-0 and now Texas has three games left in the season to avoid finishing below the .500 mark.
Entering the final series on the road against the Cleveland Guardians, a team looking to get into the American League postseason right now, doesn't bode well. Texas will have to find a way to stay competitive against a red-hot team that's made its way into the American League Central Division race.
The Guardians were in the middle of a clutch game against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night, looking for another win to keep their incredible hot streak going.
That's what faces the Rangers: A team looking to make its way into the postseason after being left for dead just a mere few days ago.
As the final series rolls out, Rangers fans might be wondering if Texas manager Bruce Bochy will be retained. There's some scuttlebutt about Bochy possibly being let go by Rangers management after disappointing seasons following their World Series championship.
Of course, the Rangers have had plenty of injuries to deal with as well. It's taken key players like team captain Marcus Semien out of the lineup for a period of time. Semien had hoped to return to the Rangers lineup but once Texas was eliminated from postseason consideration on Tuesday, that didn't happen.
"I was ready to play," Semien told Rangers reporter Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. "I got myself ready to go, probably a little early for this injury. But with where we're at as a team, we decided it's probably the smartest thing for my foot [to shut it down]. But I wanted to give it a go. The numbers just didn't add up from where we were, so I had to accept it."
Semien was only to take part in 127 games in the 2025 season while dealing with a left foot fracture and a lisfranc strain in that same left foot. The number of games is the lowest for Semien in a 162-game season since 2017.
"I think that it wouldn't have been the smartest thing to play while we’re not in it based on the timeline of my foot," Semien said. "Could I do it? Yes, I was ready to go. It's hard for me to show up here every day knowing there's no games to prepare for anymore, but all I can do is support the guys and help them finish strong."
The Rangers hit the road now for Cleveland. It's going to be a tough series no matter what because the Guardians have something to play for at this time. Texas does, too, as it doesn't want to end up with a losing record at all.