89-69 - Rangers grab win, series, inch ever closer to October

The Texas Rangers scored five runs while the Anaheim Angels scored zero runs.

The Rangers are getting close. In fact, if in moments the Houston Astros finish off a win over the Seattle Mariners, Texas is all but assured a spot in the playoffs this October. But they want more.

With tonight’s series clinching victory, the Rangers remain 2 ¹⁄₂ games up on the Astros in the AL West where they can claim the division, the AL’s second seed, and a bye. Any combination of two wins or two Houston losses in the season’s final four games gets it done.

Adolis Garcia’s 1st inning RBI double and 3rd inning solo blast looked as though they were the only runs that Texas would managed until Evan Carter continued his torrid run as a fresh big leaguer with a two-run shot of much appreciated insurance and then Marcus Semien followed with his own dong to put the cherry on top of the chilling champagne.

Player of the Game: To achieve the current enviable position, the Rangers got an excellent outing from Dane Dunning who tossed seven shutout innings tonight on three hits with just one walk and seven strikeouts.

If last night was a sign of continued organizational pitching woes, Dunning’s season — which culminated with a massive start tonight — has been a rousing success.

Up Next: The final series of the regular season begins in Seattle where the Rangers will turn to LHP Jordan Montgomery to match up against RHP Logan Gilbert for Seattle.

Thursday night’s series opening first pitch from T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 8:40 pm CT and will be carried on BS Southwest.