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ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers will send right-hander Yu Darvish to the mound against Houston right-hander Brad Peacock at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday night on Fox Sports Southwest, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540 AM.

Darvish (13.9, 2.81): Darvish needs four outs Tuesday to reach 200 innings for the first time in his career. ... He ended his career-long four-game losing streak in his last start against Tampa Bay, lasting only five innings in an 8-2 victory over the Rays. ... Darvish matched a career high with six walks. ... Darvish is 1-4 with a 3.40 ERA for his last seven starts. ... He leads the majors with 260 strikeouts. ... Darvish makes his fifth start against the Astros. ... He is 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA. ... Darvish has come within an out of a perfect game and five outs of a no-hitter against Houston this season.

Peacock (5-5, 5.24 ERA): Peacock allowed three earned runs and had five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings in his last start Wednesday against Cincinnati. ... He is 4-2 with a 3.58 ERA for his last 10 appearances, including eight starts. ... He has 51 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings. ... The Astros are 5-8 in his starts. ... He is 1-8 after an Astros' loss. ... Peacock has faced the Rangers once this season, allowing a run in six innings while getting a no-decision.

Hitters: A.J. Pierzynski is 1-for-3 with a home run against Peacock. Marc Krauss is 2-for-6 with two RBIs against Darvish. Matt Dominguez has two home runs in nine at-bats against the Rangers' pitcher.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Derek Holland set the tone for the Rangers' final seven games of the season with a complete game shutout of the Houston Astros on Monday night. And there was Alex Rios' cycle, too.

But as Holland was quick to point out after the 12-0 victory, he's not the first Rangers starting pitcher to throw well in the last week.

Matt Garza. Yu Darvish. Alexi Ogando. Martin Perez. All of them have made an impact in the last week.

"It hasn't been me," Holland said. "Garza, Darvish, Ogando, Perez. We're all clicking together at the same time. We've definitely turned a corner."

At this crucial point in the season, with the Rangers trailing Cleveland by a game for the final wild-card spot in the American League, the rotation has been lights out. Ranger starters are 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA in the last seven games.

If they can keep that up, the Rangers will be back in the postseason, at worst in the wild-card play-in game.

Holland allowed six hits for the seventh shutout of his career. It's the most shutouts by a left-handed pitcher in club history, breaking a tie with Kenny Rogers. Holland is the first Texas pitcher to throw a shutout at Rangers Ballpark since he did it in 2011.

Holland won his 10th game, joining Darvish and Garza in double figures this season. Holland has 22 quality starts, most on the team.

"Being consistent," Holland said. "That's what I needed to be. I've done a good job."

Next up in the rotation is Darvish, who has come within an out of a perfect game and five outs from a no-hitter this season against the Astros.

Time to pass the baton and get another quality start.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- When Alex Rios sent a fastball from Houston pitcher David Martinez sailing into right-center field, he knew exactly what he had to do.

Fly around the bases for a triple.

The Rangers' right fielder, who has long strides and runs like a deer, glided around the bases for that triple, making him the seventh Rangers player to hit for the cycle. Rios got it done in six innings and helped the Rangers cruise to a 12-0 victory over Houston, moving Texas within a game of Cleveland for the second American League wild-card spot.

"It's just a good night," Rios said.

"I knew I had to go," he added, discussing his thought process when he saw the ball shoot up the alley. "It's the best part of Rangers Ballpark to hit the ball if you're looking for a triple."

It was the perfect night for the Rangers, who started a seven-game homestand to end the season with authority. They snapped a seven-game home losing streak.

The Rangers know they might have to win every game from here on out to get one of those wild-card spots. So this was a momentum boost.

"It was huge," shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "As a hitter, you're looking for a game to click. We needed to get the momentum going. We had quality at-bats today and hopefully we carry it over for the week."

Rios and pitcher Derek Holland helped set the tone in Game 1 of this crucial week. Holland had a complete-game shutout, his second of the season and seventh of his career.

Rios started the offense in the right direction in the bottom of the first, clubbing a two-run double for a 2-0 lead, scoring Ian Kinsler and Andrus, who each had singles.

Rios led off the fourth inning with a single and scored on a bases-loaded walk by David Murphy. It was actually the only bad part of the night for Rios, who failed to tag up on a fly ball to center field by Craig Gentry, who batted right before Murphy.

Hitting for the cycle made it easier to forget the baserunning gaffe. But Rios did he say he would happily give up one of his four RBIs to Gentry.

"You still have to think about your teammates, too," Rios said. "It's all good."

Rios belted a home run in his third at-bat in the bottom of the fourth, a long drive to left field for his 18th of the season. That left him a triple shy of the cycle. He took care of that in the bottom of the sixth.

Rios was greeted with a standing ovation when he went out to the field for the top of the seventh.

"I had goose bumps when I was running to right field, so it felt great," Rios said.

He was drenched with a beer and champagne bath after the game.

"It was cold," Rios said. "I couldn't even speak when I was getting drenched. But it was nice."

Rios' cycle came on a night when the Rangers desperately need to get their offense cooking. They scored four runs in three games in Kansas City. The at-bats were much better all-around on Monday night, with Rios the main attraction.

"I see it as a good game at the plate," Rios said. "Having a good approach and having good results."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers outfielder Alex Rios hit for the cycle -- one of many highlights as the Rangers pounded the Houston Astros 12-0 on Monday night.

The Rangers moved to within a game of Cleveland for the second wild-card spot. Texas is two games back of Tampa Bay with six games left for the first wild card after the Rays had another walk-off win, their second in four games against Baltimore.

Rios goes for cycle: Rios became the eighth Rangers player to hit for the cycle on Monday night. His triple in the bottom of the sixth to score Elvis Andrus completed the cycle. Rios set himself up for Monday's feat with a home run in the fourth inning off David Martinez to leave himself a triple short. Rios had a two-run double in the first inning and a single to lead off the third inning. He is the third American League player to hit for the cycle this season. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels did it on May 21 against Seattle and Houston's Brandon Barnes had one on July 19, also against the Mariners.

Early lead: The Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Ian Kinsler had a leadoff single. Andrus followed with a single up the middle that moved Kinsler to third. Andrus moved up to second on a throw to third, setting up Rios, who had doubled into the left-field corner.

Breaking it open: The Rangers took advantage of two walks in the bottom of the third. David Murphy drew a walk with the bases loaded for a 4-0 lead. Leoyns Martin then broke the game open with a three-run double to center field for a 7-0 lead.

Holland deals: Derek Holland continued his upswing and finally won his 10th game in his ninth attempt. Holland hadn't won since Aug. 4 against Oakland; he's had three losses since then. Holland allowed six hits in nine innings for his second complete-game shutout of the season. Holland also had a 2-0 complete-game win at New York against the Yankees on June 27. His toughest inning was the top of the third, when he allowed leadoff singles to Trevor Crowe and Carlos Corporan with the Rangers leading 3-0. Holland fought back to retire the next three batters, ending the inning when Jose Altuve popped out to shortstop.

Finally a win at home: The Rangers won at home for the first time in September. They had a seven-game losing streak at Rangers Ballpark before Monday night's blowout. Texas improved its home record to 40-35 with six games left at Rangers Ballpark.

Up next: The Rangers go for a two-game winning streak on Tuesday night with right-hander Yu Darvish (13-9, 2.81 ERA) facing Astros righty Brad Peacock (5-5, 5.24) at 7:05 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers outfielder Alex Rios hit for the cycle on Monday night against the Houston Astros, finishing it off in six innings.

Rios had a triple in the bottom of the sixth to score Elvis Andrus. He became the seventh Ranger player in club history to hit for the cycle. Adrian Beltre was the last Texas player to hit for the cycle on Aug. 24, 2012.

Rios had a home run on an 0-2 pitch in the fourth inning off David Martinez to leave him a triple short of the cycle. Rios had a two-run double in the first inning and a single to lead off the third inning.

He is the third American League player to hit for the cycle this season. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels did it on May 21 against Seattle and Houston's Brandon Barnes had one on July 19, also against the Mariners.

The Rangers have three of the last five cycle in the American League since the start of the 2010 season. Aside from Rios and Beltre, the slow-footed Bengie Molina had the unlikeliest of cycles on July 16, 2010 against Boston at Fenway Park. Molina also got a triple to complete his cycle.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The days of the Rangers waiting to announce their fifth starter are long gone.

They can't wait for a healthy Alexi Ogando to pitch again Friday.

Ogando averaged 95 mph on his fastball and allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings in his last outing. Unfortunately, the Rangers lost Sunday to Kansas City, 4-0, on walk-off grand slam.

But Ogando's dominance was a positive coming out of a tough loss.

"That's the Ogando we thought we were getting out of spring training," manager Ron Washington said.

Ogando has had three different stints on the disabled list this season for right shoulder inflammation and biceps tendinitis. He has freedom in his right arm, which has brought his velocity back after it dipped to 93 mph. The bite is back with his slider.

"I feel stronger right now," Ogando said. "My arm feels good now."

"We finally nailed down his issue," Washington said. "The issue he was having in his shoulder, we finally nailed it down. We had to put him on the DL two or three times to figure it out, but we finally figured it out."

There's been much debate about Ogando's role as a starter or a reliever. General manager Jon Daniels said the club has not begun making plans for the 2014 season.

The pitcher continues to fall on the starting side of the debate.

"I'm going to work for that," Ogando said.

Soria improving: Reliever Joakim Soria gave up the walk-off grand slam to Kansas City's Justin Maxwell on Sunday, but Washington sees a pitcher getting better in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Soria got two outs with the bases loaded in the 10th inning Sunday, but got himself in a full-count situation with Maxwell and lost the fight.

"As he's moved along, he's starting to execute better," Washington said. "I thought he did a good job yesterday, he just didn't get that third out. Maxwell battled him and got him in a spot where he had to throw a fastball and he didn't miss it. He's competing good. His stuff looks good."

Rios stands by decision: Alex Rios said Monday that if he had to do it again, he would gamble and try to move up from second to third on a fly ball like he did Sunday in the ninth inning.

Rios was thrown out at third on an accurate throw by Royals left fielder Alex Gordon, who leads the AL in outfield assists. Rios said he was testing Gordon's accuracy.

The Rangers have to stay aggressive on the basepaths because of their struggles scoring runs, Rios said.

"Play aggressive but be smart," he added.

Short hops: The Rangers have allowed five walk-off home runs this season, tying a club record set in both 1976 and 2002. It's tied for the most in the majors with Cincinnati, Seattle and the New York Mets. ... Third baseman Adrian Beltre started Monday needing eight hits for 200, two homers for 30 and two RBIs to reach 90 for the season.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers are going with the same lineup for the third straight game, with David Murphy as the designated hitter for Monday night's game against the Houston Astros.

Here is Monday's lineup:

RANGERS
2B Ian Kinsler
SS Elvis Andrus
RF Alex Rios
3B Adrian Beltre
C A.J. Pierzynski
1B Mitch Moreland
LF Craig Gentry
DH David Murphy
CF Leonys Martin
P Derek Holland

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers open a must-sweep three-game series against last-place Houston with left-hander Derek Holland facing Astros right-hander Jordan Lyles at 7:05 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540 AM.

Holland (9-9, 3.48): Holland is winless in his last eight starts, but he pitched better against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, allowing two runs in six innings. He had 5 2/3 shutout innings before allowing a two-out, two-run home run to the Rays' Sean Rodriguez in the bottom of the sixth that tied the game 2-2. The Rays won 4-3 in 12 innings. ... Holland is 0-3 with a 7.91 ERA in September. He has allowed 14 home runs in 15 starts since July 1. He leads the staff with 21 quality starts. He is 0-0 with a 3.75 ERA in two starts against the Astros this season.

Lyles (7-8, 5.26): Lyles allowed seven runs in 3 1/3 innings in his last start Tuesday against Cincinnati. He doesn't miss many bats with 91 strikeouts in 138 2/3 innings. The Astros are 9-15 for his starts. Houston scores for him, averaging 5.78 runs of support per start. He is 7-10 after a Houston loss. Lyles is a very respectable 3-2 with a 3.61 ERA on the road. He has made one start against the Rangers this season, allowing eight runs and 11 hits in four innings.

Hitters: Adrian Beltre (6-for-15, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs) and David Murphy (4-for-6, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs) have raked against Lyles. Astros catcher Jason Castro is 4-for-6 with a home run against Holland.

All together, six teams are still mathematically in the mix for the two American League wild card spots. The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians sit atop the bunch, with the Rays a half-game ahead of the Indians for the top spot.

Here’s a reason to be optimistic, and not so optimistic, about those six clubs down the stretch. Also included is their percentages to make the postseason based on mathematical modeling by NumberFire.com.

Tampa Bay Rays (86-69) – 87% chance to make playoffs
• Reason to feel good: The Rays close with a pair of three-game series against the Yankees and Blue Jays. Rays starting pitchers have an ERA under 3.00 against five teams this season, and the Yankees and Jays are among those teams.

• Reason to feel nervous: Each of the Rays' final six games are on the road. Tampa is 36-39 on the road this season, 16th in all of the MLB and third-worst among teams currently with a winning record.

Cleveland Indians (86-70) – 81% chance to make playoffs
• Reason to feel good: The Indians' final six games are against the White Sox and Twins, teams they’ve beaten up on this year. They are 23-8 against those two opponents and 63-62 against all other teams.

• Reason to feel nervous: The power has disappeared for the Indians lately. In their last seven games, they’ve hit just four home runs (no more than one in a game) while slugging just .380.

Texas Rangers (84-71) – 30% chance to make playoffs
• Reason to feel good: Much like the Indians, the schedule sets up well for Texas. Their remaining seven games are against the Astros and Angels, who they are 25-6 against this year. Against all other teams, they’re under .500 (59-65).

• Reason to feel nervous: The Rangers are 5-15 in September, the second-worst mark in the MLB behind only the White Sox, who have the third-worst overall record in the majors.

Kansas City Royals (82-73) – 1% chance to make playoffs
• Reason to feel good: Although a long shot to make the playoffs, the Royals can lean on their bullpen down the stretch. Their 2.54 bullpen ERA is the best in the American League, and second-best in the majors behind the Braves (2.46).

• Reason to feel nervous: K.C. closes the season with a three-game road series against the White Sox. The Royals have averaged just 2.6 runs per game with a .215 batting average against the Pale Hose this season.

New York Yankees (82-74) - <1% chance to make playoffs
• Reason to feel good: If the Yankees can stay alive, they’ll close the season with three against the team with the worst record in the majors: the Astros. This season, the Astros have played 12 teams that currently have winning records, and have losing records against all 12, with an 18-70 combined record.

• Reason to feel nervous: With an elimination number of three, the Yankees will have to survive a three-game series with the Rays starting Tuesday. In their last seven games against the Rays, Yankees starting pitching has gone 0-5, with a 6.05 ERA and a .311 opponents’ batting average.

Baltimore Orioles (81-74) - <1% chance to make playoffs
• Reason to feel good: The Baltimore bullpen has been solid against their final two opponents. They allowed no runs in 7.2 IP in their last series against the Blue Jays, and no runs in their last four games (13.1 IP) against the Red Sox.

• Reason to feel nervous: If the Orioles stay alive, they close with three against the Red Sox. In their last eight games vs Boston, they’ve hit just .183, scoring 2.5 runs per game.

Texas Rangers (84-71, second place in AL West) vs. Houston Astros (51-105, fifth place in AL West)

Monday: LHP Derek Holland (9-9, 3.48 ERA) vs. RHP Jordan Lyles (7-8, 5.26), 7:05 p.m.

Tuesday: RHP Yu Darvish (13-9, 2.81) vs. RHP Brad Peacock (5-5, 5.24), 7:05 p.m.

Wednesday: LHP Martin Perez (9-5, 3.54) vs. LHP Dallas Keuchel (6-9, 4.99), 7:05 p.m.

Here's what to watch for in this final series between these in-state rivals:

Silver Boot: The Rangers retained the Silver Boot, given to the winner of the season series, back in August with a four-game sweep of the Astros in Houston. The Rangers are 14-2 against the Astros, with eight straight wins. The 14 wins are the second most ever by Texas against one opponent in a season. The Rangers beat Seattle 15 times in 2011. Texas has won 13 consecutive individual series against the Astros. The Rangers have never needed a sweep more than they do now. They've outscored Houston 104-64.

Astros' offense: The Astros have averaged four runs per game against the Rangers. That's not so bad considering they were almost no-hit twice by Darvish, not to mention having won only two games. Houston's offense starts with Jose Altuve, who has hit safely in 19 of his past 21 games. He is batting .374 with eight doubles, a home run and 10 RBIs during that span.

Andrus rolls on: If the Rangers earn a wild-card birth, shortstop Elvis Andrus will likely be right in the middle of things. Andrus is batting .340 over his past 23 games and broke an 0-for-10 slide with two singles Sunday. Andrus has a career-high 40 stolen bases, though he was caught Sunday trying to steal third base. He has played spectacular defense, making 14 errors in 552 total chances.

Home, not sweet home: The Rangers have one last chance to play well at home. The last homestand was a disaster, as they lost all six games to Pittsburgh and Oakland, which cost them the American League West and put them in serious jeopardy of missing the playoffs. The Rangers have 39 home wins. To put that in perspective, 18 teams have more home wins, including Philadelphia and Colorado, teams that have been out of the playoff race for weeks. The Rangers have the best road record in the majors at 45-36.

Bullpen power: The Rangers have three qualifying relievers with ERAs under 2.00 with seven games left in the regular season: Neal Cotts (1.04), Joe Nathan (1.51) and Tanner Scheppers (1.96). According to baseball-reference.com, there have been only two teams since 1900 do that: the 2002 Braves and the 2003 Dodgers. The Rangers and Braves can both accomplish that this season. The much-maligned Astros bullpen has been better of late with a 2.63 ERA in the past 13 games.

If the Texas Rangers are to make the playoffs, they'll need contributions from just about everybody. But with one week to go in the season and the Rangers right in the middle of a fight for an AL wild-card spot, let's try to narrow that group down to six Rangers who could determine if there will be postseason baseball in Texas in October (this is listed in no particular order):

1: Ian Kinsler. With his offense struggling in September, manager Ron Washington tinkered with his lineup trying to create a spark. In the process, he moved Leonys Martin out of the leadoff spot and inserted Kinsler back in that No. 1 role. Kinsler, as in the past few seasons, has to be a sparkplug for this offense. He has to be the one that gets things going so that it trickles down from there. Adrian Beltre is this team's MVP, if you ask me, but he needs Kinsler to help set the table so Beltre has opportunities to drive him in. Since Kinsler switched back to leadoff two weeks ago, he has six multihit games and eight RBIs. Kinsler can make things happen on the bases, and the Rangers will need that this week.

2: Derek Holland. He pitches tonight in Arlington, Texas, against Houston, a series against the league's worst team that the Rangers must use to their advantage. Holland struggled to start September but allowed just two runs in six innings in a no-decision against the Tampa Bay Rays in his most recent start. He's in a key spot in the rotation this week with his start tonight, and he's slated for Saturday, the penultimate game of the season. Every game this week is big, but it's up to Holland to set the tone tonight and then possibly be in position to keep Texas in it, or give them a chance to claim that wild-card spot, on Saturday. He should have a big say in what happens to this team.

3: A.J. Pierzynski. This is the time of season that having Pierzynski could be even more important. He has postseason experience and knows all about pennant races and playoff chases. He's the guy that must keep this pitching staff calm (it will be Geovany Soto's job to do that with Yu Darvish) as they attempt to navigate through three games with Houston and four with the Angels to try to make the playoffs. Pierzynski's bat, of course, will matter, too. He was one of the few guys actually hitting when the Rangers couldn't buy a run at points this month. They need that stick now, along with his game-calling abilities.

4: Tanner Scheppers. Obviously, Joe Nathan is a key to this team's success as the closer. But he's done the job solidly all season. What matters just as much is getting the game to Nathan, and Scheppers is critical to that. He wasn't able to pitch on Friday in Kansas City after pitching in three straight games, and the Rangers couldn't close out that game after falling behind in the eighth inning. Scheppers has an ERA under 2.00 and has thrown the ball well in key situations. He's going to get some of those this week and must execute.

5: Elvis Andrus. He's becoming a critical leader for this team and also one of its most important hitters. Like Kinsler, the opponent does not want Andrus to get on base because of his speed and baserunning ability. Andrus is one of the few Rangers whose September split is solid. He's batting over .300 for the month, and it seems that when the Rangers do score runs, Andrus is somehow involved (either scoring it or driving it in). He'll need to continue that this week.

6: Gary Pettis. It might seem odd to see the third-base coach on this list, but the reality is that he's already had an impact on several games this month to help this team create runs. The club's issues with scoring runs with regularity this month has been documented constantly. But for a team that has had a power shortage, pushing the envelope on the bases matters. Pettis isn't afraid to get aggressive with runners. He must be smart about it, but that attitude could make the difference in the Rangers getting that extra run they need. Don't overlook his importance as the Rangers run the bases like crazy.

Remember back in February when Josh Hamilton said, "There are true baseball fans in Texas, but it's not a true baseball town."

Maybe that stung a little at the time, but things really sting now. If pain, suffering and agony are requirements needed to fulfill True Baseball Town status, Dallas-Fort Worth is now eligible to apply. After all, I'm not sure fans of any team have suffered a four-year span like the Rangers have:

--A World Series loss in 2010.
--A crushing World Series loss in 2011.
--An epic final-week collapse in 2012 that cost them the division title.
--A loss to the Orioles in the wild-card game. A game that Joe Saunders started.
--An impending epic September collapse in 2013.

Sorry, Red Sox and Cubs fans, but you have never gone through a four-year stretch like that.

The Texas Rangers suffered another devastating September loss on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Kansas City, losing 4-0 in 10 innings when Justin Maxwell hit a two-out, walk-off grand slam on a 3-2 pitch from Joakim Soria. Combined with the Indians' 9-2 win over the Astros the Rangers are now 1.5 games behind Cleveland for the second wild card.

To be fair, the Rangers haven't yet completed this collapse. Yes, they're 5-15 in September -- they began the month two games up on the A's -- but they do have three games against the Astros and four against the Angels to close out their season. The Indians just swept the Astros (who have now lost nine in a row), so if the Rangers can pull of a sweep they'll at least head into the final series against the Angels with a chance. The Indians finish up with two against the White Sox and four against the Twins, a soft schedule that should essentially eliminate the Royals, Yankees and Orioles.

As I watched Sunday's 10th inning unfold, as I watched Maxwell flip his bat and raise his arms in triumph, my immediate thoughts:

1. What a great moment for Royals fans to cherish, even if their playoff chances remain minuscule.

2. How did Ron Washington screw it up again?

3. Doesn't Washington have to be fired?

Let's go through Sunday's game. Alexi Ogando had pitched seven scoreless innings. Tanner Scheppers had retired the next four batters, throwing just 15 pitches. With one out in the ninth, Washington replaced Scheppers with lefty Neal Cotts to face Alex Gordon. You can't argue that move too much, although (A) Scheppers has no platoon split; (B) Gordon has hit .306 against lefties and .245 against righties with more power against left-handers. And Cotts has actually been tougher on right-handed batters (.165, no home runs) than lefties (.202, two home runs). Still, lefty against lefty, and Gordon has historically been much better against right-handers. Still, there wasn't really much of a statistical reason to make the move, however, and you start running the risk of burning through your bullpen too quickly in an extra-inning game and having to use Joe Ortiz at some point (umm, see Wednesday).

Anyway, Cotts got out of the inning and was left in to face Eric Hosmer in the 10th. No issue there. Hosmer punched a ground-ball double over the third-base bag: Good pitch, bad result. Billy Butler and Salvador Perez were the next two hitters, two right-handed batters, Butler without a platoon split, Perez better versus left-handers. You could do two things here: (A) Leave in Cotts (who, mind you, has been as dominant as just about any reliever in baseball this year with a 1.04 ERA and, as mentioned, great platoon splits) or (B) go to the bullpen and bring in Joe Nathan even though it wasn't a save situation. After all, if you don't escape this inning, you won't have a game to save.

Washington, of course, chose option C: Bring in your fourth-best reliever, Joakim Soria.

Washington immediately made Soria's job a little more difficult by deciding to intentionally walk Butler, setting up a potential double play with Perez, but also making it more imperative that Soria throw strikes since you can't afford to load the bases. Also of note, Soria had walked 10 batters unintentionally in just 20 1/3 innings pitched. Soria almost got his double play, but the ball popped out of the glove of a diving Elvis Andrus and he failed to get pinch-runner Chris Getz at second. Soria almost got out of the inning with a pop out and force at home, but Maxwell worked the count to 3-2 and was sitting dead red -- Soria in a situation where he had to throw a strike or risk walking in the winning run.

Look, you can't blame Washington for the offense's failure to score a run, but it capped a miserable week of decisions for a manager whose in-game strategies have been questioned in the past, particularly in the 2011 World Series. On Thursday, he used Nathan to close out an 8-2 victory -- even though Nathan had pitched the previous two days, including a 29-pitch effort on Wednesday (his second-highest pitch count of the season). That presumably left Nathan unavailable for Friday, when Jason Frasor and Neftali Feliz -- something like his fifth- and sixth-best relievers -- let the go-ahead score in the eighth. In that contest, he brought in Feliz after Frasor had loaded the bases. Feliz had pitched just five games all season since coming back from Tommy John surgery. Even when Feliz was good he always had trouble throwing strikes, walking more than four men per nine innings in 2011 and 2012. Why would you bring him in with the bases loaded? Brutal.

The Rangers lost two games this week in part because of Washington's inability to be flexible and realize you don't manage games in late September with your season on the line the same way you do in May and June. He lost games by pulling his best set-up guy, Cotts, while leaving his closer, Nathan, on the bench.

It's amazing how far the Rangers have fallen in just 12 months. One year ago they were about to win their third straight AL West title and were praised as perhaps the best organization in baseball, right up there with the Cardinals. They had a young and successful general manager in Jon Daniels, they appeared to have a stacked major league roster with a deep farm system. Hey, some things went wrong this year -- Matt Harrison made just two starts, Colby Lewis never returned, Alexi Ogando missed about half the season -- but this was also a team counting on Lance Berkman to remain healthy and David Murphy and Mitch Moreland to be the big left-handed bats.

It was a team with flaws. And a team with flaws can't win if its manager is making decisions that hurt its chances of winning. The Rangers have seven games remaining. I suspect they'll be the final seven games Washington manages for the Rangers.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Well, the Texas Rangers are up against it now, no longer in control of their destiny to the postseason.

Faced with needing a win to keep pace with the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians in the American League wild-card race, the Rangers lost in excruciating fashion on Sunday afternoon after holding the Kansas City Royals scoreless for nine innings and ultimately losing.

The problem was the Rangers didn't score for 10 innings, so when Royals right fielder Justin Maxwell clobbered a two-out grand slam off former Kansas City closer Joakim Soria in the bottom of the 10th for a 4-0 victory in the Royals' final home game of the season, Texas had yet another extra-inning loss.

This is getting old.

The Rangers are 3-9 in extra innings. Among many other things, their struggles to win in these situations are as much of a reason as any as to why they go into the final week two games behind Tampa Bay and 1.5 games behind Cleveland for the two American League wild-card spots.

If the Rays and Indians win out, the Rangers will be out of the playoffs for the first time since the 2009 season, but they aren't thinking about that. The Texas players are focused on finishing strong at home with three games against last-place Houston and then four games against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Rangers lost all six games on their past homestand and have lost seven straight at Rangers Ballpark. They need to own their home stadium.

"We go home, and now is the best time to get everything together and have an amazing homestand," Elvis Andrus said. "It's going to be a great challenge to see how much we want it and how much we want to be in the postseason."

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