Texas Poised For Heated Race

When the going got tough last week, the Rangers got going, regaining a share of the AL West lead

By SCOTT M. CRISP

Updated 4:00 PM CST, Mon, Jul 6, 2009

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Being that its a full week and change until the All-Star break, it would be hard to anoint 2009 as a successful season for the Texas Rangers.

There are ample games to be played, and plenty of opportunities ahead for Texas to falter. Texas could, after all, get swept by Los Angeles this week, changing the division as well as the season outlook as far as the team is concerned going into the break; weirder things have certainly happened.

But regardless of the outcome of the series, which begins tonight in Anaheim, Texas are in the race to stay.

Los Angeles could have dealt a serious blow to Texas' morale last week; the team was on an ugly skid, a line of long games, characterized by an impotent offense and pitching not quite good enough to win. After dropping two of three to San Diego, Los Angeles beat Texas in game one of a three game set in Arlington last week; the Rangers were 2 1/2 games back of their rivals from the west, and looking mighty vulnerable.

Things could have, at this point, gotten bleak. Had the Angels held onto the momentum seen in game one (they had won six straight at this point) and swept Texas--even taken the series from Texas--downtown Arlington would have been a ghost town, littered with the hopes of jettisoned bandwagoners and, of course, thrill-seeking tourists in town to test their spines against the Texas Giant.

But Texas took two of three and, after sweeping the Rays in Arlington, have won five straight moving into a three-game set with the Angels in Anaheim.

The statement seems clear: Texas isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

The Rangers and Angels will go into this series tied at 10 games over .500 a piece; this means that Los Angeles is playing (really) good baseball. It also means, however, that Texas is (a) also playing good baseball, (b) that Texas isn't scared of a little competition and (c) that Texas knows how to rebound from an ugly stretch.

All of these seem to be earmarks of a legitimate contender.

The Rangers will look to build upon a 15-4 record against division opponents Monday night, as they begin a three-game set in Anaheim. They will round out the first half against the Mariners in Seattle, beginning on Friday.