And the Rangers are back to 9.5 games up in the A.L. West, after last night's victory and the A's loss to the Yankees. BP's playoff odds for Texas are now up to 98.3%.
Jeff Wilson's game story calls last night's game a blueprint for how the Rangers want to play in September, with the team wanting to finish strong and not back into the division title.
T.R. Sullivan's game story praises the plays made in the field by the Rangers outfielders, with Sullivan saying this may be the best defensive outfield the team has ever had.
Richard Durrett raves about the Rangers' defensive performance last night.
Cliff Lee went back to Texas to get treatment on his back, which has apparently been bothering him. He got an injection and will get a couple of extra days rest before his next start.
Evan Grant says that there was a mixture of relief and frustration over Lee informing the team that he'd been dealing with back problems -- relief that there was an explanation for his recent struggles, frustration that he hadn't informed the team earlier so they could treat the problem earlier.
Josh Hamilton received an injection in his knee that the Rangers hope will get him through the next few weeks, until he can get another cortisone shot.
Tim Cowlishaw says we should be more concerned about Hamilton than Lee.
Jeff Wilson's notes include quotes from Jeff Francoeur about how excited he is to be in Texas, and Ian Kinsler saying he's ready to be back in the lineup.
Sullivan says that Francoeur will be in the lineup against lefthanders, meaning that David Murphy and Julio Borbon will share time against righthanders.