When you get to this point in the season and you're right in the thick of the postseason chase, things get magnified — good and bad.
On Tuesday night with a chance to open a series with a win against the hottest team in baseball in first-place Toronto, Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson dug himself a hole and couldn't dig himself out.
Tolleson wasn't sharp from the beginning as he entered in the ninth inning with a 5-4 lead. He walked the leadoff hitter, got a groundout and then walked the No. 8 hitter on four pitches. With runners on first and second, Tolleson got a fly out but then allowed a hit to Troy Tulowitzki to tie the game. Shortly after that, a rare Adrian Beltre throwing error put the Rangers behind.
It was a disastrous night for Tolleson, who was never particularly sharp, and an equally bad night for the Rangers as they lost but watched as everyone competing with them for playoff spots won. They saw their hold on the second AL Wild Card spot trimmed to just a half-game over Los Angeles and Minnesota.
Tolleson's blown save was just his second of the year, but it seemed to continue a trend of always making things a little bit too interesting. It's way too early to sound the alarm on Tolleson, who doesn't have traditional closer stuff, but the Rangers have some power arms in front of him who could fit that role nicely if things continue to go haywire.
