Capitalizing on a Houston Astros collapse, the Texas Rangers dominated the Toronto Blue Jays to surge above .500.
The Texas Rangers knew they were in an uphill battle fighting for the final American League Wild Card spot against the Chicago White Sox, but suddenly, the Houston Astros have hit rock bottom.
Houston just dropped their second straight game, and they've now lost nine of their last 13.
With seven games remaining, the Rangers know a one-game lead in the AL West isn't going to cut it.
That said, this Rangers team is in a completely different place than the Astros. Texas just defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-2, to improve to 78-77. It marks the first time they have a record over .500 since Aug. 10, so this team is finally in the drivers seat and knows it's time to keep the foot on the gas.
Rangers have won last six of seven
To say the Rangers have the Blue Jays number this season would be an understatement. They just improved to 6-0 against Toronto this year, and they've outscored them 13-3 in these last two games.
Knowing this is the final homestand of the year for the Rangers, these wins couldn't have possibly come at a better time.
With the series finale looming, it'll be up to Jacob deGrom to try and put the Rangers two games over .500 for the first time since July 29.
Rangers won by four runs despite being out-hit
It was a bit of an odd game against the Blue Jays as Toronto out-hit Texas, 6-5. In the end, the only thing that mattered was the final score, and that was clearly in the Rangers' favor.
Josh Jung hit a two-out home run in the first inning to get the party started. The Rangers would add two more runs in the second inning, and then three more in the sixth to take a commanding 6-1 lead.
Texas's eighth and ninth hitters combined for two of their four RBIs in the game, so it's great to see this entire lineup continuing to contribute.
As a team, the Rangers left six runners on base and were just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. While that didn't come back to haunt them in this one, that's definitely something they'll need to clean up if they do indeed make the postseason.
Cal Quantrill threw the first 1.1 innings but is currently listed as day-to-day due to a lat injury. He'll undergo an MRI to see the severity of things.
Thankfully, Jordan Montgomery picked him up with 3.2 flawless innings. The 33-year-old improved to 1-0, picking up his first win in a Rangers uniform since 2023.
