I can’t consider a extra apropos latest instance of a curler coaster throughout baseball’s common season than this 12 months’s Texas Rangers. Within the month of August, the Rangers have been considered each because the American League’s main contender to make the World Collection and in addition had a big swath of their fan base throw within the towel for the way crap they regarded in opposition to common, at finest, groups. Texas began scorching, cooled off, received scorching once more — six gamers made the ultimate All-Star Game roster; and 5 of them began — sucked, turned crimson scorching, grunted by means of a 12-out-of-10 on the mondo-dook-o-meter, and now are one sport away from sweeping the Blue Jays, one among its major opponents for a Wild Card spot, in Canada.

To not point out, after crapping away the three.5-game lead within the AL West the Rangers had over the cheatin’ Astros and a 7.5-game lead over the third-place Mariners they’d a month in the past presently, primarily as a consequence of shedding 16 of 20 between Aug. 16 and Sept. 6, they’ve gained their final 5, with one other spherical of manageable matchups coming down the pike. Other than tonight’s sport in Toronto, the Rangers have one opponent left on their schedule that’s not hovering round .500 or worse. Texas’ remaining seven video games in opposition to Seattle, together with a 4-game sequence within the Pacific Northwest to finish the season, will possible decide each groups’ playoff future, or lack thereof.

The Rangers’ present turnaround was sudden as a result of earlier than they went north of the border, the Blue Jays weren’t slumping, successful eight of their final 10 video games. It was two groups stepping into reverse instructions who then employed a double reverse uno card. This all comes whereas Texas’ huge trade-deadline acquisition, Max Scherzer, hasn’t performed a rattling factor for the staff and received booed in Queens throughout the staff’s latest sequence in opposition to the Mets. Then Scherzer will get damage on Tuesday evening and is probably going performed for the 12 months, as a result of the Rangers can’t have good issues or flaming luggage of poop. How this journey will finish for a resurgent staff beneath a first-year supervisor who’s nonetheless someway disappointing can be one of the crucial attention-grabbing tales in baseball over the past a number of years.

It might shock nobody if the Rangers made the playoffs. At their finest, they’re clearly probably the greatest groups in baseball. It might additionally shock nobody if Texas missed the playoffs, as a result of, at its worst, it’s as efficient as washing your fingers with mustard. But it surely’s nonetheless higher than Oakland with these yellow-drenched (Rollie) fingers. It’s anybody’s guess which model of the Rangers will present up on any given evening. Via three video games in Toronto, Texas has outscored the Blue Jays 26-7. Towards Houston earlier this month, the Rangers have been outscored 39-10 in a 3-game sweep. It’s exhausting to know the place to gauge expectations for the staff, as a result of blatant examples of each have been really easy to see and analyze.

I nonetheless have a tough time believing the Rangers gained’t be within the playoffs, though they’re a sport again of Houston within the AL West and solely a sport forward of Toronto within the Wild Card standings. There’s simply an excessive amount of high quality in Arlington in comparison with the remainder of the American League to imagine in any other case. That’s, when the Rangers are good, they’ve that a lot potential they usually’ve proven they will’t be trusted.