If the Texas Rangers continue to play like they did on Monday afternoon in Oakland, the AL West race might be as good as done.
A positive spin for Rangers fans: The Rangers have shown plenty of times to respond with their backs against the wall and when the odds are against them.
That's definitely the case now, as the A's tied the Rangers for first place in the AL West on Monday after it looked in mid-August that the Rangers could easily hold a five- or six-game lead heading into September.
The Rangers went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring in position on Monday — their lone two runs coming on a fifth-inning two-run monster shot from David Murphy that briefly tied the game before Derek Holland coughed the lead back up in the bottom of the fifth.
Holland allowed two two-run homers after going through a season when he's drastically cut down his home run total, pitched great on the road, and even better in Oakland, specifically.
The Rangers had plenty of chances to score runs but seemingly left runners stranded in just about every inning, especially in the later innings.
The Rangers aren't dead yet, but things certainly don't look as bright as many thought they would at this point.
