This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry’s Rangers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
On the morning of Aug. 26, the Rangers were sitting 5 1/2 games out of the final American League Wild Card spot. FanGraphs had given them just a 6.9% chance to make the postseason at that point.
They seemed dead in the water well before that. Nearly everybody outside of that clubhouse counted them out. Now, the Rangers have won 16 of their last 20 games. FanGraphs gives them a 38.9% chance to make the postseason entering Sunday, more than quintupling their chances from two and a half weeks ago.
How do they keep this playoff push alive?
“[We have to] keep proving people wrong,” Jake Burger said at the end of the last homestand. “We keep the same energy and we believe in the guys in this clubhouse. We don’t know how it’s going to happen on a nightly basis, but I know I believe in every single one of these guys. We’re going to go out there and give it our all every single night, because we know what’s on the line here.
“Every single night is make or break. I think that’s a fun spot to be in. Honestly, I don’t like coasting. I like when every single pitch matters and every single play matters. I think we have the energy and the enthusiasm to do that every night.”
Here are three ways the Rangers can keep it rolling.
Little rascals continue to step up when called
The Rangers’ stream of injuries has included Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Adolis García, Evan Carter and Nathan Eovaldi.
In their places, Cody Freeman, Michael Helman, Alejandro Osuna and Dustin Harris have stepped up to contribute in big spots, including five of six first-inning RBIs in Friday night’s win over the Mets, as well as a handful of other clutch hits over the past two weeks.
Though Seager and García could return before the end of the regular season, just in time for a potential postseason run, the young guns are going to need to continue making contributions if the Rangers want to see themselves in October.
“We’re getting called the little rascals now,” Freeman told field reporter Laura Stickells on Friday night. “People are talking about it a lot. We stick together, we talk about helping out this team in any way possible. We’re just having fun. We’re blessed that we’re here.”
Healthy vets don’t screw up the mojo
The big money guys are out. But there are still a number of players that the Rangers are leaning on during the home stretch, namely Wyatt Langford, Josh Jung, Burger and Joc Pederson.
All four have gone through their fair share of ups and downs this season, including demotions to Triple-A for Jung and Burger, and a franchise worst within a single season 0-for-41 stretch for Pederson. But over the last month, all four have found their strides in the heart of the Rangers’ lineup to keep this thing afloat.
“It’s important that everybody does something to help out,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Not just one or two guys. When you’re missing your core players, you’re looking for something to carry the weight. I don’t think anybody is trying to do that. It’s obvious they’re doing a good job of using the whole field. Better job of putting the ball into play when needed. The young guys, the veterans, everybody is doing something to help win the ballgame.”
Pitching wins championships
This hasn’t been a problem. The Rangers ended Saturday with a rotation that owned an MLB-best 3.31 ERA and a bullpen that held a 3.63 ERA, good for fourth in the American League. Even with Tyler Mahle being out for most of the season and Eovaldi’s own season ending prematurely, young guys like Jack Leiter and Jacob Latz have stepped up big alongside the likes of deGrom, Patrick Corbin and the newly acquired Merrill Kelly.
So what has made this pitching staff so effective?
“That’s a tough question,” deGrom said. “I think everybody comes in with a good game plan and then makes adjustments as the game goes. We’ve got a good group. Evo going down was a big blow, but with what he brings [off the field], we’re just trying to learn from each other. I think in the bullpen, too, they’ve done a great job of picking up the starters when they need to. We’re just trying to go out there and put the offense in position to win.”
