The Texas Rangers are in third place in the AL West and two games back from a wild-card spot.

After winning the World Series in 2023, Texas was unable to repeat its success in 2024, finishing with a record of 78-84 and missing the postseason.

In the offseason, Texas looked to improve its roster, signing designated hitter Joc Pederson and catcher Kyle Higashioka. Texas also re-signed starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to a three-year $75 million contract.

The Rangers were also active in the trade market, acquiring first baseman Jake Burger from the Miami Marlins in exchange for three prospects. The Rangers also traded first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to the Washington Nationals for relief pitcher Robert Garcia.

This season, the Rangers’ offense has struggled, led by Corey Seager, Josh Smith, and Wyatt Langford.

Texas is in the bottom three for batting average and on-base percentage, and in the bottom five for slugging percentage. Texas is also in the bottom 10 for RBIs, but one area where Texas excels is stolen bases, where the team ranks in the top five.

Despite the offensive struggles, the pitching has been outstanding, led by Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom.

The Rangers have the best ERA, batting average allowed, and walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) in baseball this season. The Rangers are also in the top three for home runs allowed, but are in the bottom half of the league for strikeouts.

Texas made moves at the trade deadline to make the pitching even stronger. Texas traded for starting pitcher Merrill Kelly from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Rangers also traded for relief pitchers Phil Maton from the St. Louis Cardinals and Danny Coulombe from the Minnesota Twins.

While the trades will certainly help Texas make a postseason push, the front office didn’t address the offense at the trade deadline.

Being only two games back from a wild-card spot, Texas may take one of the three wild-card spots, but the offense will need to be more consistent if the Rangers want to go on a run like the team did in 2023.

Texas Rangers Schedule & Tickets

• August 8: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
• August 9: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
• August 10: vs. Philadelphia Phillies
• August 11: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
• August 12: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
• August 13: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
• August 15: at Toronto Blue Jays
• August 16: at Toronto Blue Jays
• August 17: at Toronto Blue Jays
• August 18: at Kansas City Royals
• August 19: at Kansas City Royals
• August 20: at Kansas City Royals
• August 21: at Kansas City Royals
• August 22: vs. Cleveland Guardians
• August 23: vs. Cleveland Guardians
• August 24: vs. Cleveland Guardians
• August 25: vs. Los Angeles Angels
• August 26: vs. Los Angeles Angels
• August 27: vs. Los Angeles Angels
• August 29: at Athletics
• August 30: at Athletics
• August 31: at Athletics
• September 1: at Arizona Diamondbacks
• September 2: at Arizona Diamondbacks
• September 3: at Arizona Diamondbacks
• September 5: vs. Houston Astros
• September 6: vs. Houston Astros
• September 7: vs. Houston Astros
• September 8: vs. Milwaukee Brewers
• September 9: vs. Milwaukee Brewers
• September 10: vs. Milwaukee Brewers
• September 12: at New York Mets
• September 13: at New York Mets
• September 14: at New York Mets
• September 15: at Houston Astros
• September 16: at Houston Astros
• September 17: at Houston Astros
• September 19: vs. Miami Marlins
• September 20: vs. Miami Marlins
• September 21: vs. Miami Marlins
• September 23: vs. Minnesota Twins
• September 24: vs. Minnesota Twins
• September 25: vs. Minnesota Twins
• September 26: at Cleveland Guardians
• September 27: at Cleveland Guardians
• September 28: at Cleveland Guardians

Texas Rangers Odds

Despite being two games out from a wild-card spot, Texas has strong odds to make the postseason at +140. Its odds to win the American League are +1200, and Texas has +3500 odds to win the World Series.

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Texas Rangers’ left-handed pitcher Patrick Corbin earned his first win of the season on Wednesday, as the Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-1.

However, it was a start that Corbin nearly missed due to a venomous bite on his foot. A bite that he described as “very swollen” made it difficult for him to walk.

“They said something bit me, but I still don’t know what it was,” Corbin said. “I’ve never had anything like that.”

Despite the hiccup, the former All-Star pitched five innings. He gave up five hits and had six strikeouts.

“We weren’t even sure if he was going to pitch,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “He was 50/50 on whether he would make the start or not.”

The bite remains sore and swollen, according to Corbin. However, Corbin is not expected to miss any time and will remain in the pitching rotation. His performance on Wednesday is indicative of his ability, despite a venomous bite.

The Rangers completed a series sweep of the Angels on Thursday. They host a series against the Dodgers starting on Friday.

The team is currently 12-7 and in first place in the AL West.

Former No.1 overall pick and MLB pitcher Matt Bush was booked on three counts, according to the Arlington police, for driving while intoxicated, an accident involving injury and evading police.

Police reports say that they tried to pull over a car around 8:30 p.m., but it sped off, and they put out a ‘Be on the lookout’ sign for the vehicle. A few minutes later, the police responded to a crash in an intersection, and the exact vehicle they wanted to pull over was involved. Witnesses say that Bush ran a red light, smashed into another car, and then tried to flee the scene before being tackled by bystanders. He declined a sobriety test, and police took him to jail before he was released on bond.

Bush has a history of drinking and driving and went to prison for three-and-a-half years after critically injuring a 72-year-old man in Southwest Florida in 2012. However, the Texas Rangers signed him to a minor league contract a year later, and he released this statement in 2016.

“I realized I’m not the same person when I drink,” he said. “I tend to make horrible choices. I don’t ever want to be that person again. I like myself today and being sober. I feel like I’m living a dream, and I don’t ever want this to stop.”

The San Diego Padres drafted Bush #1 overall in the 2004 MLB straight out of high school as a shortstop, but he wound up changing his position to pitcher during his career. He spent eight years in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2016. He last played baseball with the Milwaukee Brewers as a reliever, appearing in only 12 games and finishing the year with an 0-2 record. He played 217 professional games in his career, recording 15 saves.

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At an introductory press conference Wednesday, new Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington said that he was prepared at age 71 to take on another rebuilding project. In his first managerial stint in nearly a decade, he said he was eager to take the helm again.

“If you remember now — I was in Texas, and guess what we did? We ran the Angels down,” Washington told a large conference room of media members, team employees and current and former players. “Now I’m in California, with the Anaheim Angels — well, the Los Angeles Angels. I’ll get that in my head. Once we get things together, we get these guys together in spring training and start to work, our whole focus is gonna be to run the West down. And you can take that to the bank and deposit it.”

When Washington accepted the job to become manager of the Rangers in 2007, the team was in the doldrums of the A.L. West. Though he went 75-87 in his first season, his teams improved for five consecutive years and went to the World Series in 2010 and 2011. In eight seasons with the club, he compiled a 664-611 overall record. He later accepted a position as the third base coach of the Atlanta Braves, where he became a fan favorite and won his first World Series ring in 2021.

Next year, Washington will officially take over an Angels team in a similarly dreadful position to the Rangers in those early years. Even with two-way star Shohei Ohtani and perennial MVP candidate Mike Trout on the roster in 2023, the team only went 73-89 and missed the postseason. With Ohtani entering free agency, it is unlikely that he will return.

Trout is also entering the final years of his career, exacerbating the Angels’ need to find a new identity. The team has flown through managers since parting ways with longtime club leader Mike Scioscia in 2018. For now, Washington is simply happy to be receiving another opportunity. The hard work will come later.

“The belief never wavered,” Washington said when asked if he thought he would ever become a manager again. “You never know when you’re gonna get an opportunity to lead, to be a manager. You never know that. Even though I left Texas the way it happened, I still had a lot to give. I still was able to make a difference. So what I did was kept myself relevant. I kept making a difference wherever I was.”

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was named the World Series MVP for the second time Wednesday. Over the course of the five games, Seager hit three home runs to lead the team to several key victories.

“It truly is incredible,” Seager said after the game. “But it’s not just me, man. What this team did and how we competed and all the guys in there rallying, we don’t really have one leader. That whole clubhouse is the leadership.”

Seager deflected direct praise, but without his home runs in Games 1 and 3, the Rangers would have had significantly more trouble getting past the Diamondbacks in such short order. He did exactly what the team expected him to do when they signed him to a massive 10-year, $325 million deal going into the 2022 season.

“I don’t know what else to say about the man; he’s just incredible,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s a guy you want up there, obviously.”

Seager was also the World Series MVP in 2020 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he had eight hits in 20 at-bats, including two timely home runs to lift the team past the Tampa Bay Rays.

After the World Series win in Los Angeles, Seager, now 29, assumed a new vision for the rest of his career. Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young convinced Seager to lead a fledgling franchise, one that was still looking for its first World Series win but mostly trying to attain relevance in a crowded league.

“It was definitely a drawing point for me,” Seager said. “I won in L.A. They hadn’t won in 30 years (actually 32) and I saw what it did to a fan base. When I found out they had never won here, that was something that intrigued me, to be able to start at the bottom and try and build something and compete. And to be able to do it, it’s really satisfying.”

The Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 of the 2023 World Series Wednesday night to clinch the first championship in the franchise’s history. Most people heard about it via social media or news alerts. One of the most prestigious sporting events in the United States was little more than a blip for most fans, who decided that the World Series was over before it started.

Though ratings have not yet been released for Game 5, the first four games of this year’s series were the least-watched World Series games outside of the pandemic in recorded history. Game 5 may enjoy a slight uptick in viewership because the Diamondbacks were facing elimination, but this year’s championship is almost certain to break the event’s record for lowest average ratings ever.

Media outlets have begun a frenzied search for the cause of this ratings crater, with most blaming small markets and the Houston Astros’ elimination in the ALCS. Both of these reasons can be refuted, as the Diamondbacks and Rangers enjoyed healthy ratings boosts with improved play during the regular season. The Astros aren’t a sure bet for postseason ratings either, as their World Series against the Phillies last year will soon be the third least-watched championship in MLB history.

But while those reasons are difficult to accept, there is an even more compelling cause for viewer disinterest that is even harder to stomach. In part, it is a claim that goes against the spirit of baseball and sports in general:

The Diamondbacks did not deserve to be in the playoffs and MLB’s playoff format is intrinsically flawed.

Now, that’s not a very nice thing to say. Diamondbacks players, coaches and executives all worked extremely hard to earn a Wild Card berth. Once they reached the playoffs, they defeated the Brewers, Dodgers and Phillies, three talented teams with serious championship aspirations of their own. They made the most of an opportunity and proved that they belonged among the best in the National League. The only problem is that baseball is really, really weird.

In 2020, Action Sports analyzed the previous five seasons of major American sports and found that MLB had the highest upset rate, with betting underdogs winning 41.6% of the time. Baseball is so unpredictable that it is often taken for granted when these upsets occur.

To put things in perspective, the Rangers, newly crowned champions of the league, played the Oakland Athletics 13 times in 2023. Though the A’s finished the season with a 50-112 record and will go down as one of the worst teams in the history of baseball, they still managed to beat Texas four times.

Nothing can be taken away from the Diamondbacks as a team; they got hot at the right time and took advantage of their opponent’s weaknesses. If Clayton Kershaw is going to give up six runs in the first inning of an NLDS game, then it doesn’t matter if the Dodgers won 101 games. Arizona deserved to win. The point, however, is that any competent team in baseball can beat any other competent team on the right day, and this element of randomness has gotten out of hand now that the league has expanded the playoffs to include three Wild Card teams.

For all the praise one can give the Diamondbacks for their postseason performance, they finished the regular season with 84 wins and lost their division by 14 games. They briefly controlled the NL West early in the season, lost ground to the Dodgers and finished well enough to stay above .500. That sounds more like a disappointment than a success, and yet, the team still snuck into the playoffs, where the records stopped mattering.

Just behind them in the standings, the 82-80 Padres will be remembered as profound underperformers who missed the playoffs with the likes of Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis. If they had won three more games and made it into the postseason, there’s no telling how much damage they could have done. Their embarrassing play over the course of 162 games might not have made a difference.

Even after the Diamondbacks made the playoffs, the league made no real attempt to market the team to national audiences. Their Wild Card series against the Milwaukee Brewers was the only one to air on ESPN2, with the other three series airing on ABC and ESPN. Neither game in the two-game sweep drew more than two million viewers, according to Sports Media Watch, putting it last on average among the four matchups.

Even as the World Series approached, only the most diehard baseball fans outside Arizona would have been able to name more than five players on the Diamondbacks. Young star Corbin Carroll stands out and Zac Gallen hit a bird earlier in the season, but MLB never had a reason to market the team at any point during the season. Their success, while well-earned during the postseason, was completely incongruent with the six months of baseball that preceded it.

When people tune in to watch March Madness, they watch for the upsets. Most viewers are casual fans who weren’t paying attention to the actual college basketball season. The NCAA Tournament is chaotic and punishing and everything that fans of the sport are looking for. The storylines revolve around this randomness. That’s not why people watch the MLB Playoffs.

When viewers turn on the MLB Playoffs, they expect to witness the culmination of a grueling 162-game season in which the best teams compete for the championship. In two straight years since the playoff format was changed, however, MLB seasons have ended in middle-of-the-road N.L. underdogs getting slaughtered by superior A.L. rivals. People have clearly decided that that isn’t worth watching.

Now, there is a minor flaw in this argument. For some reason, the American League has somehow managed to consistently produce a highly touted team for the World Series in the new format. This might be somewhat dressed up, however. Last year, the 106-56 Astros were a historically good team while their ALCS counterpart, the 99-win Yankees, almost got dumped in the ALDS by the Cleveland Guardians. Houston swept New York in four games. This year, the Astros returned to the ALCS and the Rangers boasted newly acquired players from other organizations, but neither team came close to having the best regular season in the A.L. Both teams almost lost their playoff berths to the resurgent Mariners. Houston’s dynastic success may be providing consistency for viewers that would not be present otherwise.

If teams like the Braves and Dodgers win 104 and 101 games, respectively, but disappear in the playoffs, no amount of fan support should protect them from a postseason defeat. There doesn’t have to be an excessive reward for regular-season success, but there should be a more significant punishment for regular-season mediocrity.

It’s a hard truth, but national audiences don’t want a baseball tournament built for underdogs. They want to see the monsters, the teams they’ve watched and read about all season. In October, teams that win 100 games shouldn’t have to worry about the likes of the Cubs, a team that missed the postseason by one game with an 83-79 record.

As things are now, having 12 playoff spots theoretically gives every team in the league a 40% chance of making the playoffs. Toss a few teams with no chance and a few more that give up at the trade deadline, and it follows that practically any team above .500 has a chance at the postseason. From there, it’s just baseball, infinitely random and currently unsatisfying for many. If storylines from the regular season do not begin to bear some resemblance to storylines in the playoffs, then viewers will realize more and more that they have no reason to watch either.

Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia left in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the World Series with an apparent injury, as he appeared to have hurt his back during the swing.

Manager Bruce Bochy said that Garcia has suffered from left-side tightness and the Rangers were optimistic about his condition. 

“Doli will get some diagnostics done. [We’ll] see where he’s at,” Bochy said. “He’s a complete player. Speed, arm, can hit. The guy can do it all. We saw it [in the second inning]. And he’s accurate, too, and he loves to throw. He loves to be challenged.” 

Garcia played a significant part in the Rangers’ 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks, mainly his work on defense, helping get several outs for the Rangers.

In the playoffs, Garcia has eight home runs, 22 RBIs and a batting average of .323. He was also the American League Championship Series MVP.

The Rangers also have to deal with injuries related to Max Scherzer, who left Game 3 with lower back tightness. 

On Thursday night, the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers, 10-3. They leveled the best of seven series ACLS series at 2-2.

The Astros saw Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez and Jose Abreu combine to drive in eight runs. The Astros also saw José Altuve, who became the seventh person to play in 100 career playoff games, have three hits, he joined ranks including Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, David Justice and Yadier Molina as the only players to reach 100 postseason games. 

Altuve went 0 for 8 in the Astros’ two losses at home but has gone 5 for 9 in the away victories in Arlington, Texas. Altuve got a double from the game’s third pitch. He later scored on Bregman’s triple. The Astros scored three runs before they recorded the game’s first out. 

The Rangers came back to tie the game to score Corey Seager’s solo home run, but the Astros answered in the fourth inning by scoring four runs.

Altuve’s teammate Bregman praised his accomplishment.

“It’s been an honor to be his teammate – a Hall of Fame player and a Hall of Fame person, incredible leader every single day. From Day 1 of spring training, he shows up, and works his tail off. He always has a smile on his face. He’s so nice to everyone that he comes into contact with,” Bregman said.

The Houston Astros earned their first win of the ALCS in Game 3 Wednesday night, defeating the Texas Rangers 8-5 on the road. Houston now trails 2-1 in the best-of-seven series and can even the score with another road victory on Thursday.

In his first start since suffering a muscle strain in early September, Max Scherzer was dull in his 28th career postseason appearance. Though he became the second pitcher ever to make postseason starts for five different teams, his playoff debut for Texas was not memorable for good reason. He allowed five runs on five innings in four innings of work before exiting.

“I thought he had good stuff,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. “He’s a little rusty. It’s been a month since he’s been out there. He’s only going to get better. He feels good. That’s the good news.”

Scherzer told reporters after the game that he had mixed feelings about his performance, arguing that he did better than the box score might suggest.

“In these situations, look there’s some bad in this I get it, but that’s what you kinda gotta tune out and look at the good,” Scherzer said. “Look, I made some mistakes, I get it. I got punished for it. There were some good things I did as well. … I’m not going to sit here and beat myself down.”

The Astros and Rangers have now played three closely contested games, with the pair matching up well on the mound and at the plate. Texas took Games 1 and 2 on the road by 2-0 and 5-4 scores, respectively, meaning that there has not yet been a home win for either team heading into Game 4.

Both teams are reaching the bottom of their rotations as the series reaches a potential midway point, as the Rangers’ Andrew Heaney and Astros’ Jose Urquidy are expected to match up this evening. Urquidy was one of Houston’s heroes in the ALDS, as he led the team to a win over the Twins to clinch that series. Heaney had several bad outings for Texas during the regular season, inflating his ERA, but also recorded 151 strikeouts in 28 starts.

The Houston Astros defeated the Minnesota Twins in four games to win the ALDS. Following the commanding series victory, the team will advance to the ALCS for a highly anticipated AL West matchup with the Texas Rangers.

Houston won Game 4 behind a stellar outing from starting pitcher Jose Urquidy, who allowed two runs and struck out six in 5.2 innings. Manager Dusty Baker joked after the game that he couldn’t recognize his own starter, who rose to the occasion to eliminate the Twins and end the ALDS.

“In that kind of situation, I think I have big hunger there,” Urquidy said after the game. “Obviously, my focus and my plan to prepare has to be very clear, and I have to put all my mind on it. I feel very comfortable being here with this team … creating a good plan of attack with my catcher.”

Besides a 6-2 loss in Game 2, the reigning World Series champions never appeared unsettled by Minnesota, who advanced to the ALDS after sweeping the sixth-seeded Toronto Blue Jays. Houston survived a late Twins comeback to win 6-4 in Game 1 and dominated in Game 3, when starter Cristian Javier struck out nine Twins’ batters in a 9-1 victory.

Facing elimination in Game 4 Wednesday, the Twins delivered an honest effort and even took a 1-0 lead when star slugger Royce Lewis homered in the bottom of the first. The Astros came right back when Michael Brantley hit his own solo shot in the second, however, and Jose Abreu hit a two-run bomb in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead. Minnesota scored a run in the sixth but eventually went quietly in a season-ending 3-2 defeat.

Despite losing the series to Houston, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was encouraged by his team’s season and maintains lofty goals for the near future.

“The team is hungry in a way that I don’t think we probably even were before,” Baldelli said after the defeat. “You get a taste of something like this, you show this to people, what this looks like and what it is. We’re not that far from playing in the World Series.”

With the ALDS wrapped up, the Astros will play the Rangers, their archrivals in the AL East. Star pitchers Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez will be available to start Games 1 and 2 at home in Minute Maid Park next week.

Someone should inform the residents of Tampa, Florida, that their baseball team just got knocked out of the playoffs. They probably won’t be too distressed.

The Tampa Bay Rays lost Game 2 of the American League Wild Card series Wednesday to the Texas Rangers, who will advance to the ALDS to face the Baltimore Orioles. The Rays played very poorly in both games, losing 4-0 and 7-1, finishing a 99-win 2023 season with a bitter 0-2 sweep. But with so little occurring on the field, the crowd (or lack thereof) became the story of this series.

In Game 1 Tuesday, the Rays reported an attendance of 19,704 fans at Tropicana Field. The following day, in the final game of Tampa’s season, 20,198 fans showed up. With a capacity of 42,735 at the Trop, this means that less than half of the seats were filled as one of the best teams in baseball made its fifth straight postseason appearance. The two games earned records as the lowest and second-lowest attended MLB non-pandemic postseason games in more than a century.

Before I scold Rays fans for letting their team down, it’s important to recognize that there are obstacles to attending a Rays game on any day. Tropicana Field is not located in Tampa but in St. Peterburg, a smaller city 26 miles away. The stadium is outdated, providing little comfort to fans by modern standards. The nonretractable roof prevents the team from playing in the Florida sunshine and the field is still artificial turf, a rarity in MLB today.

It didn’t help that the games occurred a little after 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, presumably when many people were working. But this is where the excuses end for Rays fans. In 2019 and 2021, Tampa also hosted playoff games and did not come close to selling out the stadium for any of them. It’s impossible to know if this has any correlation to the team’s notorious lack of postseason success, but it’s hard to imagine the team playing worse than it did against Texas in this most recent series.

It feels obvious to say, but when your team makes the postseason, you go. The travel across the Tampa Bay area to St. Petersburg could very well be a pain, but there are plenty of examples of fans going out of their way to support their teams. No one in New York would ever be caught dead in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on any day but Sunday, as the Jets and Giants have boasted high attendance numbers at MetLife Stadium for years.

The Rays are a frustrating story of talent failing to transfer to popularity, as outside factors prevent the team from enjoying the same fanbase shared by other teams in the area. The NFL’s Buccaneers have seldom enjoyed packed stadiums by NFL standards, but the fanbase is loyal and passionate and promises some noise every weekend. The NHL’s Lightning is consistently one of the most watched teams in the league. The Rays, a consistently strong team with star power and wins to back up their reputation, were booed by their own scattershot crowd as they ended yet another postseason run prematurely.

“Some boos starting to come down from the group,” ESPN commentator Sean McDonough said during Game 2. “I’m not sure we can call it a crowd. The group here at the Trop.”

Texas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer will miss at least the rest of the regular season after suffering a teres major injury in Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He could also miss the postseason, though the Rangers were already on the cusp of losing a playoff berth before Scherzer’s setback.

The teres major is a small muscle in the shoulder, and while Scherzer will not require surgery to treat the injury, the strain will prevent him from appearing on the mound again for the foreseeable future. In addition to Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, the Rangers have now lost three top pitchers to injury in a single season.

“In some ways, I was almost relieved that it’s not worse,” Scherzer told reporters Wednesday. “It’s not surgery. Talking about the doctors, I fully expect to make a full recovery.”

With an 81-64 record, Texas recently overtook the Seattle Mariners for second place in the AL West division. Both teams are within two games of the first-place Houston Astros, setting up a tense three-way fight for the division with less than 20 games remaining.

The two losing teams in the division battle will have to resort to the AL Wild Card to make the playoffs. If the season ended after last night’s games, both the Rangers and Mariners would earn postseason berths with the two final spots in the Wild Card, but the Blue Jays are just one game behind Seattle with an 80-66 record.

When the Rangers acquired Scherzer from the Mets at the trade deadline, giving away top prospect Luisangel Acuna in the process, the plan was for him to fill in as the team’s ace during a massive playoff push. Instead, Scherzer struggled at times, earning a 4-2 record and 3.20 ERA in eight starts. In a highly anticipated matchup against his Astros rival and former teammate Justin Verlander, Houston batters ended his night early and went on to win the game 12-3.

Following Scherzer’s injury, many sportsbooks made the Rangers the third favorite to win the AL West despite their current half-game lead over the Mariners for second. The team’s offense, stellar all year, will need to continue providing run support as the regular season quickly comes to a close.

In a highly anticipated pitching matchup between former teammates Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, the Houston Astros soundly defeated the Texas Rangers 12-3 to maintain a one-game lead in the AL West.

The game Wednesday night was the first time Verlander and Scherzer had ever faced off. The two future Hall-of-Famers were teammates on the Detroit Tigers from 2010 to 2014 and again earlier this season with the New York Mets. They were traded to opposing AL West rivals at the trade deadline as both the Astros and Rangers seek a hotly contested division title.

But in a game many expected to be closely contested with two aces on the mound, the Astros quickly overwhelmed Scherzer and took a 7-1 lead after three innings. Scherzer did not make it to the fourth inning, but Verlander went on to pitch seven, allowing a home run in the first inning but allowing no further runs while striking out six batters. Houston tacked on another run in the fifth and four in the ninth to cruise to a 12-3 win.

“I couldn’t get all the way through the ball, couldn’t explode through the ball,” Scherzer said after the game. “I can go out there and compete. I went out there against Minnesota last time kind of with a similar issue and was able to compete and locate. … Today, just didn’t get it done and didn’t locate the ball well enough.”

In 26 starts this season, Scherzer has earned a 12-6 record with a 3.91 ERA, his highest since 2011. Though he has made several solid starts for Texas, he has not provided the punch many expected him to as the team fights for the division. While the Astros recently took the lead with an 80-61 record and the surging Mariners sit just behind them at 78-61, the Rangers are now three games back at 76-63.

After leading the division for most of the year, if the season ended today, the Rangers would not even have a postseason berth, as they are currently a half-game out of the last Wild Card spot behind the Toronto Blue Jays. Seven games against the Mariners at the end of the month may end up determining the season.

The Seattle Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 5-4 Wednesday in a sloppy back-and-forth contest to win their 21st game in the month of August. In doing so, the team set a franchise record for wins in a single month and has catapulted back into the hunt for a division title.

After dropping a game to the A’s Tuesday, the Mariners nearly dropped the series Wednesday when they fell behind 3-0 in the second inning. The team trailed again later on but tacked on two runs in the bottom of the seventh and eventually closed out the game.

“There’s like 60 days in August isn’t there? I wish there was,” Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters. “What a month.”

Servais went on to compare his team to the 2001 Mariners, one of the greatest teams in MLB history that won 116 games. The team lost in the ALDS that year.

“Twenty-one wins in a month and there was a really special team here that won 116 games one year and they didn’t even do that,” Servais said.

The Mariners’ historic month coincided with slumps for the Astros and Rangers, the two teams that were ahead of Seattle in the AL West standings at the end of July. Going into the final month of the season, the Mariners and Astros are now tied for the division lead with the Rangers one game behind the pair.

Mariners star Julio Rodriguez was enjoying the team’s momentum after its 20th win Monday. The slugger did not participate in the 21st win because of a foot injury.

“It’s really good. I feel like everybody is playing like we all know we could,” Rodríguez said Monday. “It’s been really good seeing everybody having fun, seeing everybody getting good at-bats and getting on base and passing the baton, and getting the big hits when we need them.”

Veteran MLB catcher Robinson Chirinos announced his retirement on Twitter Wednesday after 11 seasons in the league. The Venezuelan catcher spent most of his career with the Texas Rangers but played for six teams between 2011 and 2022.

“With a happy, yet heavy heart, I am announcing my retirement from professional baseball,” Chirinos said. “After much contemplation and reflection, I have decided to close this chapter of my life. It has not been an easy decision, but I feel that it is the right one for me as I have given my heart and soul to this sport over so many years.”

Born in Venezuela, Chirinos signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs in 2000 at the age of 16. He spent more than a decade in Chicago’s farm system until he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011. He made his MLB debut with the team but did not make the 2012 roster because of a concussion. He was later traded to the Texas Rangers where he played from 2013 to 2018 and again in 2020.

Over the course of his career, Chirinos batted .226 with 95 career homers, but these numbers are deflated by unsuccessful stints with the Mets, Cubs and Orioles later in his career. In his prime, he was a dependable bat for the Rangers and later the Houston Astros, hitting 17 home runs for the latter team in 2019 at age 35. He also caught Justin Verlander’s third career no-hitter that season.

In 2017 and 2023, Chirinos got to represent Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic. He thanked his nation’s baseball team, as well as all the MLB organizations he played for, in his sendoff message.

“Baseball has been more than just a game to me,” Chirinos said. “It has been my passion, my love, and my identity for as long as I can remember. From little league to the major leagues, I have spent my life pursuing my dream of becoming a professional baseball player.”

Blockbuster deals are sending Marcus Semien and Corey Seager to Dallas, and when they say everything’s bigger in Texas, they must mean the contracts, too. Semien’s contract is good for $175 million over five years, and the Texas Rangers lockdown Seager in a massive ten-year, $325 million deal. The Rangers have made it clear they won’t be holding back on spending for talent after last year’s 102-loss season.

The shortened 2020 season affected athletes and Semien was no exception. He struggled with the Oakland Athletics that season which lead to a one-year stint with the Toronto Blue Jays. He moved from shortstop to second base and changed up his batting strategy. In a shift from the previous year where he chose to walk frequently, he became more aggressive on fastballs. Thirty-six of his 45 home runs were off fastballs. Semien is coming off an MVP-candidate year. He won both Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards and played in all 162 games for the second time in three seasons.

Seager was one of the most coveted free agents on the market. He has a career slash line of 297/.367/.504. In just a seven-year career, his accolades already include a National League Rookie of the Year Award, two NL Silver Slugger Awards, two All-Star selections, and NLCS and World Series MVP Awards. Injuries plagued him the last few seasons, but when healthy, Seager has proven to be incredibly consistent at-bat. His average has not dipped below .295 as a major leaguer. The Semien and Seager signings should help bring the Rangers back to relevancy next season.

Semien and Seager will be teaming up with recent additions Jon Gray coming from the Colorado Rockies and Kole Calhoun from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rangers are eager to secure players (pending physicals) with a possible MLB lockout since the collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Wednesday at midnight.

Veteran pitcher Nate Jones is retiring from baseball, agent Joe Speed of Sterling Sports Management announced on Twitter.

“It is bittersweet to announce that long-time client and great friend Nate Jones is retiring from baseball,” Speed wrote. “Nate spent 9 plus years in the major leagues, mostly as a Chicago White Sox. Nate finishes his career w a 22-16 record and a 3.45 ERA. My best to Nate and Lacy and the kids!”

Jones was selected as a fifth-round pick by the Chicago White Sox in 2007. He was never considered one of their best prospects, only topping out at No. 22 on Baseball America’s rankings in the 2011-12 offseason. Still, he became one of the team’s most talented relievers for several years.

Jones made his debut as a 26-year-old in 2012 and immediately cemented himself as a fixture in the bullpen when he pitched 71 2/3 innings of 2.39 ERA ball as a rookie. In his second season, he pitched in 78 innings with a 4.15 ERA ball but had some hip and back soreness along the way.

In 2014, the veteran pitcher suffered from continued back troubles that sidelined him, and he eventually suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. He only appeared in two games and missed much of the 2015 season while recovering from Tommy John’s surgery.

In 2015, Jones returned to baseball in early August and was re-signed by Chicago on a three-year deal. The following year, he had a career season. Jones pitched a 2.29 ERA with a 29.2 percent strikeout rate and a 5.5 percent walk rate.

Jones was traded to the Texas Rangers at the end of the 2019 season and was subsequently bought out. The veteran then signed with the Cincinnati Reds but only appeared in 21 games with the team.

The New York Yankees acquired All-Star Anthony Rizzo from the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, the team announced.

“The New York Yankees today announced that they have acquired INF Anthony Rizzo and cash considerations from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Alexander Vizcaíno and outfielder Kevin Alcántara,” the team said on Twitter.

“All good things come to an end,” Rizzo said about the trade. “To be able to go to another historic franchise like the Yankees, it’s unbelievable. Getting all the calls and texts, how excited they are, how excited I am. My family is all from New Jersey and New York. Emily’s family is up in Connecticut. It’s going to be a really special opportunity for me these next three months. I’m just going to enjoy it all.”

Rizzo wasn’t in the lineup for the Cubs’ series finale against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. The three-time All-Star is batting .248 with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs in 92 games this season. Rizzo will become a free agent after this season. The first baseman spent over 10 years with Chicago. He helped lead the franchise to its first World Series in over 100 years in 2016.

The acquisition of Rizzo comes after the Yankees acquired All-Star outfielder Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers. Both All-Stars are left-handed hitters, which the Yankees wanted to add to their predominantly right-handed lineup.

The arrival of the two All-Star hitters will greaten New York’s chances at snagging a Wild Card spot in the American League.

The New York Yankees have reached a deal with the Texas Rangers for All-Star Joey Gallo. This signing could provide the Yankees with a much-needed boost behind the plate.

“Wow, a guy that can hit it out of any ballpark. I don’t think he gets enough credit for the type of defense that he plays,” said Aaron Judge after hearing about the trade.

“Also, just talking with Rougy and a couple of guys that have played with him, man, what a guy that you want in your clubhouse, a guy that shows up every day ready to play. He’s going to fight until the very end. If that’s true and it comes true that we get him, I think it’s going to be something special for our team,” Judge added.

Gallo is just 27 years old and will join a Yankees lineup that has lacked power from left-handed hitters all year. Roughned Odor and Brett Gardner have been the only left-handed hitters consistently in the lineup this season.

“That’s going to be huge, just to give the pitchers a different look,” Judge stated. “When we go up there with all right-handed guys, pitchers kind kind of get into grooves and kind of get into rhythms, but if you kind of mix it up a little bit and throw some lefties in there and a lefty that kind of bolt you on any pitch, it’s going to be big for this lineup and for this team.”

Gallo has a batting average of .223 this year with 25 home runs, 55 RBIs and leads the MLB with 74 walks. Gallo has also earned Gold-Glove recognition at first base, however he will likely take on a role in the outfield for the Yankees.

With no consensus first pick in this year’s MLB draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates opted to take arguably the best bat in the class: catcher Henry Davis. Davis slashed .370/.482/.663 with 15 big flies this year in college. His arm behind the plate is sensational, although parts of his defense are lackluster. He is the second catcher drafted first overall in the past three years, with Baltimore selecting Adley Rutschman in 2019.

“I’ve done a lot of hard work to get here. Everybody in my life has helped me get where I’m at now and I’m excited to keep going … I’m going to do everything I can to help this organization get where it needs to be,” Davis said.

The first slot in the draft holds a pool value of over $8 million, although the Pirates will most likely try to strike a quick deal in order to have Davis sign for less.

Jack Leiter will not be heading to New York to play for the Yankees like he was supposed to when he was drafted years ago before opting for college. Instead, the second pick in the MLB draft will suit up for the Texas Rangers, where he has a chance to make an impact sooner rather than later. Leiter worked a 2.13 ERA and sent 179 hitters packing in just 110 innings.

“I’m just so happy I was able to have my family and friends and people that care about me all here to celebrate with,” Leiter said.

“He fits everything we’re trying to accomplish as an organization,” said relatively new Rangers general manager Chris Young.

Outside of the top two draftees, the Tigers opted for pitcher Jackson Jobe with the third pick. Jobe is coming straight out of high school, where he produced a 0.13 ERA this season.

These picks were followed up by shortstop Marcelo Mayer going to Boston, outfielder Colton Cowser heading to Baltimore and shortstop Jordan Lawlar getting selected by Arizona.

The Royals made the first big surprise splash in the draft, opting for pitcher Frank Mozzicato even though he was seen by many experts as a second-round selection.

The biggest slide of a prospect in the first round was arguably Kumar Rocker, who went with pick No. 10 to the Mets. Rocker was long considered the best prospect in the class, but a rocky spring saw him slip nine spots.

This year’s draft is the first in which fans were able to watch live. It will span 20 rounds over three total days.

The deadline for players to sign is August 1, 5 p.m. EST.