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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Decisions, decisions, decisions.

The Rangers have quite a few to make as they enter their first offseason in four years without a postseason game.

Will Nelson Cruz be back? How about Joe Nathan? Others, such as catchers A.J. Pierzynski and Geovany Soto, outfielder David Murphy and pitcher Matt Garza will be discussed ad nauseam before the winter meetings in December in Orlando.

Manager Ron Washington touched on the big ones -- Cruz and Nathan -- during his postmortem press conference Tuesday morning, 12 hours after the Rangers lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 5-2 in the American League tiebreaker game. He and general manager Jon Daniels and the rest of the brain trust will sit down at some point and go over all the options.

The big one is Cruz. He was suspended for the final 50 games of the regular season for violation of Major League Baseball's Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Cruz has to shoulder a portion of the blame for the Rangers' not making a stronger push for the AL West title, as they gave it up to Oakland in the final month.

The Rangers were disappointed by Cruz's decision-making and suspension, but they also know there's a lack of right-handed power hitters in the major leagues, and the minors too. The Rangers are likely to make Cruz a qualifying offer of about $13.5 million.

Washington, for one, would welcome Cruz back.

“When you think about a Nelson Cruz, who wouldn’t want a Nelson Cruz?" Washington said. "Big heart, great teammate, but there’s a lot of decisions to be made on our part and Nelson’s part. I do believe Jon Daniels will go down that road and see where it works or doesn’t work."

Then there's Nathan. The Rangers have a $9.5 million option on him for 2014, with a $750,000 buyout, a contract that Nathan can void and become a free agent. Nathan, 38, made it clear all season that he expects to pitch for several more years and will seek a multiyear deal.

Nathan blew three saves this season and finished with 43 saves. He may walk the tightrope sometimes, which drives the fan base crazy, but he's reliable and gets the job done.

“I thought Joe Nathan had a tremendous year,” Washington said. “I think at the end of the year, Joe Nathan proved to everyone that doubted him what he was made of, and I certainly would love to continue giving him the ball because he gets outs.”

There will be other decisions. Both Pierzynski and Soto would like to return, but the Rangers may set their sights on free-agent-to-be Brian McCann.

They gave up a lot for Garza, including pitcher C.J. Edwards -- who pitched tremendously for the Cubs in the minors after the trade. Is that reason enough to bring Garza back? Did he show enough despite going through a maddening stretch in August and September?

Whatever happens, this will be a fascinating offseason, one in which Daniels and his staff will have to make their mark.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers manager Ron Washington isn't planning on having a quick hook for 22-year-old starter Martin Perez in Monday's American League wild-card tiebreaker game.

But he has plenty of arms to turn to if needed.

Washington said all of his pitchers, including starters Alexi Ogando, Matt Garza and Derek Holland, are available to come out of the bullpen in Game 163, an elimination game, against the Tampa Bay Rays. Yu Darvish is the only pitcher who won't be used.

PODCAST
Nolan Ryan joins Galloway and Company to discuss having Nelson Cruz back in the lineup and how the Rangers are feeling heading into their wild-card play-in game against the Rays. Listen

Ogando is the most likely to be the first starter used because of his experience pitching out of the bullpen. Washington said he'll just flow with the game and base his decision on how far to go with Perez on how his innings are going.

"It just depends on what is happening," Washington said. "If he has issues in the first inning, it could be the first inning. If he has issues in the fifth inning, it could be the fifth. It could be the second, the third. We just have to see what scenario is being played out there."

Washington said he'll work with his complete bullpen Monday night. The Rangers' pen has dominated during their seven-game winning streak, allowing one run in 20 1/3 innings. They have 27 strikeouts.

Setup man Tanner Scheppers has thrown 36 pitches while throwing four straight days, so his low count helps. Closer Joe Nathan also has pitched four straight days and he's available for the elimination game.

Keeping his pitch count down has been huge for Scheppers.

"It helps him to allow us to use him," Washington said. "He comes in and pounding the strike zone. What Joe's been doing after Scheppers has been outstanding."

Scheppers said there's no stopping now and that he'll be ready.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Scheppers said. "You can't be down for (Game) 163."

Put Gentry in ink: Nelson Cruz's return to the Rangers' lineup as the designated hitter means that Washington was able to keep Craig Gentry in at left field, which is good because Gentry is the Rangers' hottest hitter with 17 hits in his last 36 at-bats. He wasn't coming out for anyone.

"I never thought about taking Gentry out of there," Washington said.

Wash on Price: Rays starter David Price, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, has not pitched well against the Rangers. He has a 10.26 ERA in Arlington and has lost all three postseason starts against Texas.

If the Rangers have a secret, they're not revealing it. "I can't give you that," Washington said. "It's something that happened."

Washington said the Rangers have the utmost respect for Price, who is 9-8 with a 3.39 ERA this season.

"We're certainly not that confident that we're going to go out there and destroy Price because of what we've done in the past," Washington said. "It's Sept. 30, 2013 and this is a different time and a different day. We just have to go out there and continue to play our game and see what happens.

"Believe me, there's no one in this clubhouse taking Price lightly."

Short hops: Injured pitcher Colby Lewis, the Rangers' best all-time postseason pitcher, will throw out the first pitch before Monday's game. He'll also be in uniform for the game. Washington said that Lewis and Matt Harrison will accompany the Rangers on the road if they make the postseason. ... The Rangers and Rays are the only teams in the major leagues with four straight seasons with 90-plus wins.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers aren't revealing anything about what could happen after Sunday in a wild-card play-in game or wild-card game.

Nothing about Nelson Cruz, who wasn't in the Rangers' clubhouse Sunday morning. Nothing about Monday's potential starting pitcher, which on rotation would be Martin Perez.

Not a thing.

"We don't know about anything past today," Washington said.

The Rangers probably have a good idea, they're just not going to say it until after they beat the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. That would mean the season would go on, either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday depending on how Tampa Bay and Cleveland do.

Washington said that everyone is available for Sunday's game, including Perez and potential Wednesday wild-card game starter Matt Garza.

Pierzynski is DH: Washington wanted A.J. Pierzynski in the lineup Sunday against a left-handed starter, so he's the designated hitter with Geovany Soto catching Yu Darvish for the fifth straight game.

"I want A.J.'s bat in there. Period," Washington said. "He's a threat."

Pierzynski is 6-for-24 with four RBIs during the Rangers' six-game winning streak. Soto has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, batting .393 with two home runs and five RBIs.

Darvish forecast: If Washington could have one wish for Darvish's start, he was asked by a reporter if he would want it to be fastball command. He offered another answer.

"I wish that the headlines be, 'Darvish dominates,' in big letters written by you," Washington said.

Washington on Game 162: For the third straight season, the major league season comes down to Game 162 with three teams -- the Rangers, Rays and Indians -- battling for two playoff spots.

It's amazing when you considered the regular season lasts six months and comes down to one day on the schedule.

"When you have the balance that the league has, it happens," Washington said. "This new format makes it exciting. If we had four division winners, it probably wouldn't be. But this gets other teams involved and sometimes you don't have to have that super year to have a chance. That's what I think the commissioner has done with this game and the format we're in. You never know what's going to happen in a one-game playoff. We proved that last year. I'd rather be in that one game than not be in it at all."

Short hops: Craig Gentry's right ankle is doing OK after it was stepped on by Angels' first baseman Mark Trumbo in Saturday's game. Gentry said he will have the ankle taped as usual as he starts for the ninth straight game in left field. ... Rangers TV broadcaster Steve Busby turns 64 today.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jurickson Profar saved the Texas Rangers on Thursday night.

Profar, pinch hitting in the bottom of the ninth, delivered a thunderbolt for the Rangers with a no-doubt-about-it home run to right field for a 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers have won four straight games at home against the Angels on walk-off homers.

Texas kept pace in the American League wild-card race, remaining two games behind Tampa Bay and one game behind Cleveland.

Escape artist: The Rangers dodged a major bullet in the top of the ninth. Neal Cotts got ahead of Josh Hamilton 0-2 to start the inning but walked him. It was Hamilton's fifth walk in 134 at-bats. Howie Kendrick then failed on two attempts to get down a bunt, but Hamilton still went to second base on Joe Nathan's wild pitch. Kendrick moved Hamilton to third on a ground ball to second. Nathan somehow escaped. He struck out Kole Calhoun and Mark Trumbo to get out of the inning and keep the game tied at 5.

Martin is clutch again: Leonys Martin is saving the Rangers in his first full season in the big leagues. He had a go-ahead bases-clearing double in Wednesday's 7-3 victory. With the Rangers trailing 4-3 on Thursday night and having hit into two double plays to kill rallies in the fourth and fifth innings, Martin came up with a clutch two-out double with two runners on base to give the Rangers a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth.

Scheppers gives up lead: The Rangers had a chance at two shutdown innings, keeping their opponent off the board in the half-inning after they had scored, and failed both times. It was more surprising when Tanner Scheppers couldn't get it done in the top of the seventh. After the Rangers took the lead on Martin's hit, Scheppers allowed a leadoff triple to Calhoun and an RBI single to Trumbo, who broke out of an 0-for-25 slump by getting three hits on Thursday night.

Defensive futility: The Rangers had the worst defensive inning in franchise history in the biggest game of the 2013 season. Enough said. Leading 3-1 in the top of the second, Matt Garza got the first two outs, and then his infield completely let him down. First baseman Mitch Moreland booted a routine ground ball to extend the inning. After J.B. Shuck singled, the Rangers appeared to be out of the inning when Erick Aybar hit a grounder right at Ian Kinsler at second base. Kinsler let the ground ball roll through his legs, then he made another error trying to get an out at third base as the Angels cut the Texas lead to 3-2. Adrian Beltre then made a throwing error on a ground ball by Mike Trout and two runs came in for a 4-3 Angels lead. The Rangers totaled four errors in the inning.

Record setting: The four errors were the most in an inning by a Rangers team. Ever. It's the first four-error inning since 2010 and the first in the American League since 2007.

Fifth-inning debacle: Trailing 4-3, the Rangers loaded the bases on singles by Martin and Kinsler and an error by Andrew Romine on Elvis Andrus' sacrifice bunt. They scored zero runs. No. 3 hitter Alex Rios got up in the count 3-1 and swung through two sliders, the second one way out of the strike zone. Beltre then fell behind in the count 0-2 and grounded into a rally-killing double play to shortstop.

Up next: Texas right-hander Alexi Ogando (7-4, 2.93) will take on the Los Angeles Angels and former Rangers left-hander C.J. Wilson (17-7, 3.36) at 7:05 p.m. Friday night on TXA Ch. 21 and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540-AM.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout had the day off Wednesday against Oakland, but he was back in the lineup against the Rangers and Matt Garza on Thursday night at Rangers Ballpark as the teams square off for the final four games of the regular season.

Trout, a leading candidate for American League MVP, struggled on the Angels' recent homestand, going 2-for-17, thus the day off.

"He can find it with one swing," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Trout before Thursday's game. "Hopefully he will.

Trout has a career .351 batting average against the Rangers, so Garza and their pitchers know what to expect. Here are the lineups for Thursday's game:

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 Matt Garza

ANGELS
LF J.B. Shuck
SS Erick Aybar
CF Mike Trout
DH Josh Hamilton
2B Howie Kendrick
RF Kole Calhoun
1B Mark Trumbo
C Chris Iannetta
3B Andrew Romine
P Jerome Williams

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers open their final four-game series of the season on Thursday night when right-hander Matt Garza faces Angels right-hander Jerome Williams at 7:05 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540-AM.

Garza (10-6, 3.90 ERA): Garza had a dominant outing in his last start, allowing a run in eight innings as the Rangers beat Kansas City 3-1 ... It was the club's longest start since Yu Darvish went eight innings on Aug. 12 against Houston ... Garza snapped a four-game losing streak ... The Rangers are 7-5 in Garza's starts with two walk off wins ... Garza is winless in seven starts against the Angels, going 0-2 with a 5.61 ERA ... He is 0-1 with a 5.31 ERA against the Halos this season ... Garza is 2-1 with a 3.82 ERA for six starts at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Williams (9-10, 4.55 ERA): Williams makes his third start against the Rangers this season ... He has won all four of his September starts for his career-best winning streak ... He allowed one earned run in 5 1/3 innings in a 6-5 victory over Seattle. ... Williams has a 3.75 ERA in September ... He is 1-1 with a 5.98 ERA in 13 games against the Rangers ... He is been better against Texas this season, with a 3.00 ERA in four games/two starts.

Hitters: Adrian Beltre is 10-for-24 with two home runs and five RBIs against Williams. Howie Kendrick is 6-for-9 with a home run and two RBIs against Garza.

Texas Rangers (87-71, 2nd place/AL West) vs. Los Angeles Angels (78-80, 3rd place/AL West)

Thursday: RHP Matt Garza (4-5, 4.56) vs. RHP Jerome Williams (9-10, 4.55), 7:05 p.m.

Friday: RHP Alexi Ogando (7-4, 2.93) vs. LHP C.J. Wilson (17-7, 3.36), 7:05 p.m.

Saturday: LHP Derek Holland (10-9, 3.33) vs. RHP Garrett Richards (7-7, 4.09), 7:05 p.m.

Sunday: RHP Yu Darvish (13-9, 2.82) vs. LHP Jason Vargas (9-7, 4.01), 2:05 p.m.

Here's what to watch for in this final series of the regular season:

Upper hand: The Rangers have dominated the Angels this season, winning 11 of 15 games, but don't expect this to be an easy series. The Halos won two of out three from the Rangers earlier this month in Anaheim. The Angels are 23-9 in their last 32 games for the second best record in the majors. They are 9-0-1 in their last 10 series. The Rangers swept their last home series against the Angels in July, winning all three games on walk-off home runs.

Wilson goes for 18: Former Ranger C.J. Wilson is having a sensational second second with the Angels. He is 17-7 with a 3.36 ERA. Wilson lost for the first time in 14 starts in his last outing. He is 13-2 with a 2.94 ERA in his last 19 starts. Alexi Ogando will face Wilson on Friday night. Ogando had seven shutout innings Sunday in Kansas City.

What about Josh?: Former Ranger Josh Hamilton comes back to Baseball Town on a nice run. He has a 10-game hitting streak and had two hits and two RBIs in the Angels' 3-2 victory over first-place Oakland on Wednesday. Hamilton is batting .325 for September with four doubles, two triples, two home runs and 16 RBIs. That's significantly better than last September when Hamilton faded, batting .245 as the Rangers blew a big lead in the American League West.

Trout the MVP: You can't talk about the Angels and not mention All-Star outfielder Mike Trout, who is having another MVP-type season. Trout is closing in on becoming baseball's first 10-20-30-40 player, 10 triples, 20 homers, 30 steals and 40 doubles. He needs a double and triple in the four games against Texas. He currently has nine triples, 26 home runs, 33 steals and 39 doubles.

No Weaver: The Rangers avoid Angels ace Jered Weaver, who made his final start of the season Wednesday and beat the A's 3-1, allowing a run in seven innings. Texas still has to deal with Wilson and another lefty, Jason Vargas, on Sunday. Wilson and Garrett Williams beat the Rangers in the last series the teams played in Anaheim Sept. 6-8. Matt Garza and Derek Holland, who will start Thursday and Saturday, took losses in that series.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Well, here you go.

The Rangers traded for Matt Garza because of his reputation for being a big-game pitcher. Thursday night's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels qualifies as a big game.

A huge game.

The Rangers are running out of games -- there are four left -- and Tampa Bay and Cleveland aren't losing in front of them. So the only thing Texas can do is keep winning. Odds are the Rays and Indians won't win out.

That's where the Rangers turn to Garza and the rest of their rotation. Rangers starters are 5-0 with a 1.86 ERA in their last nine games. Texas is 6-3 during that stretch.

Garza had a big-game performance in his last start Saturday at Kansas City, allowing a run in eight innings. He kept things simple and commanded the strike zone.

"I've just got to keep it simple," Garza said. "That's kind of been my whole thing and it's kind of who I am. It's no time to work on anything anymore."

WHAT'S UP NOW: Rapid Reaction from Wednesday's 7-3 victory over the Astros. Plus, a postgame blog on Leonys Martin helping the Rangers keep pace in the wild-card race.

UP NEXT: It's all about Garza as he faces Angels right-hander Jerome Williams at 7:05 p.m. Thursday night on Fox Sports Southwest, ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540-AM.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Who will lose first -- Tampa Bay or Cleveland?

KANSAS CITY -- Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre summed up his September to this point with two words Sunday.

"An adventure," Beltre said.

The man who carried the Rangers for long stages this season is batting .253 for the final month with two extra-base hits. He hasn't homered and has six RBIs.

Beltre isn't the reason the Rangers are 5-14 in September, that's more about ineffective starting pitching, an overall erratic offense and a six-game winless homestand. But Texas has missed his thunder.

So what's up?

"I'm not getting hits like then," said Beltre of his summer run when he was American League Player of the Month in July and also a repeat winner in August.

He does have hits in five straight games and had a key RBI single in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Royals, getting the break he probably needed when a sharply hit ground ball up the middle caromed off the second-base bag and through the legs of Kansas City second baseman Emilio Bonifacio.

Beltre still leads the American League in hits with 190. He needs 10 more in eight games to reach 200 for the first time since 2004, the only time he's reached that mark. He had exactly 200 hits for the Dodgers.

Beltre said physically he's fine and that the September swoon isn't a product of hamstring issues he had earlier this season.

It's just baseball, manager Ron Washington said. Beltre got off to a slow start to the season, had an MVP-type summer and has cooled off, much like Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, who was chasing his second consecutive Triple Crown. Cabrera has tailed off in the final month, batting .264 with a homer and six RBIs, very similar numbers to Beltre.

"He's missing pitches," Washington said of Beltre. "He's getting good passes at balls and just missing it."

Gentry plays on: Craig Gentry was back in the starting lineup Sunday for the second consecutive game against a right-handed starting pitcher. Gentry has started three of the last four games with the last two in left field.

He's earned the playing time. He had a four-hit game on Thursday in Tampa Bay, and after a day off Friday, had three more hits in Saturday's 3-1 win.

"He's doing a good job," Washington said. "It's a case of riding the hot hand."

Gentry downplayed his production of late, but did say he's thrilled to be starting in meaningful games in September.

"It's only two games," Gentry said. "I'm just going to try to keep it going and contribute in any way I can."

Astros in Arlington: The Rangers head home for their final seven games, all at Rangers Ballpark, the first three against a Houston Astros team that they've beaten 14 out of 16 times.

The Astros have struggled against wild card contender Cleveland, losing the first three games of a four-game series to the Tribe entering Sunday. But Washington said the Rangers can expect to see a better Houston team than the one they've dominated so far this season, mainly because of an up-and-coming young starting rotation.

"They've come a long way this year," Washington said. "They've been competitive."

Short hops: Gentry has four steals in his last two games, giving him 18 for the season to match his career high set in 2011 ... Matt Garza's eight-plus innings thrown Saturday night means the Rangers' bullpen is fully rested with Sunday starter Alexi Ogando only expected to throw 80 pitches. Close Joe Nathan in the only reliever who pitched Saturday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Matt Garza's plan in his biggest start since being traded to the Texas Rangers? Keep it simple.

Did he ever do that, for himself and his ballclub.

Garza dominated before a sellout crowd in Kansas City, never allowing more than one baserunner in any single inning as the Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium.

The Rangers traded for Garza in July because he had a reputation for being a big-game pitcher. Garza hasn't shown that prowess lately in losing three September starts.

But he was all about the moment on Saturday night. He took pressure off his defense and hitters by keeping his innings short and effective. And simple. This September start brought out the best in the Rangers' hired gun.

"What came out of him tonight was pride," manager Ron Washington said.

Texas kept pace with the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians in the American League wild-card race after both the Rays and Indians won on Saturday. The Rangers are a half-game behind Cleveland and a full game behind Tampa Bay with eight games left in the regular season.

Washington said Friday that he believed Garza had a big game in him -- even with him being on a four-game losing streak -- and the Texas skipper proved to be correct.

The Rangers scored early runs with Ian Kinsler starting the game with a triple and scoring on Elvis Andrus' groundout. They took a 3-0 lead in the third inning on Adrian Beltre's single off the second-base bag and A.J. Pierzynski's sacrifice fly.

For Garza, it was all about staying within himself, working the corners with his fastball and dropping in the curveball when needed. He won for the first time since Aug. 19 against the Houston Astros.

"It felt good to get back to being me," Garza said. "I had been trying to do too many things, so I kept it simple. That's who I am. I went out there with a game plan of attack and trust my stuff and let's go. There's no time to work on anything anymore."

Pierzynski said Garza might have been going through information overload in his recent starts. He was taking in all of the scouting reports on hitters and attacking that way, instead of his own way, which is working off his fastball.

"Matt is a simple guy," Pierzynski said. "If you give him too much, he can overthink some stuff."

Garza was at his best the few times he had to work with runners on base. He had only one walk, and that came with two outs in the fourth inning. He didn't blink, striking out Salvador Perez coming inside with the first two pitches to get ahead, then going down and away for the strikeout.

Garza gave up five hits, including a two-out triple that deflected off first baseman Mitch Moreland's glove in the sixth inning. Garza bounced right back by striking out Alcides Escobar using the same pattern of pitches he used against Perez.

"We executed the game, which is what we're supposed to do," said Garza, who didn't make any mechanical changes after allowing 14 runs in 15⅓ innings in his first three September starts.

"They were taking early swings," Garza said. "They weren't catching good wood on my fastball until the ninth inning. The balls they did hit were off-speed pitches. It was about going to work."

Washington gave Garza a chance for a shutout by bringing him back out to start the ninth inning. He had thrown only 93 pitches. Garza threw a 2-1 fastball to Eric Hosmer on one of the few times all night one of the Royals hit a ball hard. Hosmer hit a home run into the bullpen in left field.

Washington went to closer Joe Nathan, who retired all three batters he faced -- getting two strikeouts -- and wrapped up Garza's 10th win of the season.

Garza was asked after the game if this was the best start since he was traded to the Rangers on July 22.

He hopes not.

"The best start I hope I make in October," Garza said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It was all Matt Garza on Saturday night in Kansas City. And, boy, did the Texas Rangers ever need this.

Garza kept Texas right on the heels of the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians in the American League wild-card race, allowing one run in eight dominating innings as the Rangers topped the Kansas City Royals 3-1 at Kauffman Stadium.

After Garza gave up a home run to start the top of the ninth, closer Joe Nathan came on to pick up his 40th career save against the Royals, the most by any pitcher versus the Kansas City franchise. Nathan had two strikeouts.

Wild-card race: The Rangers needed the win because Tampa Bay and Cleveland, the teams in front of them holding down the wild-card spots, both won on Saturday. The Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1, damaging the Orioles' playoff hopes. The Indians beat the Houston Astros 4-1. The Rangers remained a game behind the Rays and a half-game behind the Indians. Texas is all but done in the American League West. Oakland won and needs a win Sunday or a Rangers loss to clinch the division title.

Garza deals: Garza put a halt to his September slump. He was terrific against the Royals, commanding the strike zone and allowing just five hits in eight innings. He had only one walk after surrendering six in his past two starts. Garza had a stretch during which he retired 10 straight batters after he established control in the first inning. He did finally allow a run in the top of the ninth when Eric Hosmer led off with a home run over the left-field fence. Garza threw 97 pitches, 70 for strikes.

Rangers strike first: Ian Kinsler started the game with a triple up the right-center field alley and scored on Elvis Andrus' groundout to shortstop. Kinsler's triple was the Rangers' first three-bagger in the first inning this season. It was the first leadoff triple by a Ranger to begin a game since Kinsler did it on May 26, 2009, against the Yankees.

Taking advantage of walks: It seems like, lately, every time a Rangers pitcher walks someone it leads to a run. Well, the Rangers scored two runs on walks in the third inning. After Kinsler grounded out, Andrus and Alex Rios walked. Adrian Beltre then hit a sharp grounder up the middle that Royals second baseman Emilio Bonifacio got in front of but let go through his legs for what was scored as an RBI single. Rios made it to third on the play and scored on A.J. Pierzynski's sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead.

Gentry stays hot: Craig Gentry started in left field against a right-handed starter and had three more singles, giving him seven hits for his past two starts. Gentry had four hits on Thursday night in Tampa Bay but didn't play Friday night against the Royals.

Up next: Texas and Kansas City finish up their three-game series at Kauffman Stadium with Rangers right-hander Alexi Ogando (7-4, 3.15 ERA) facing Royals right-hander James Shields (12-9, 3.33) at 1:10 p.m. Sunday on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Rangers will have to play from behind now.

At least for one day.

An 18-inning victory for the Tampa Bay Rays over the Baltimore Orioles early Saturday morning left the Rangers on the outside looking in for a wild -card spot for the first since late July.

The Cleveland Indians also passed the Rangers with a rain-shortened victory over the Houston Astros. The Rangers trail the Indians by a half-game for the second wild-card spot, and they're a full game behind Tampa Bay.

Texas is 4-14 in September to fall out of the division lead and now the wild-card lead.

The Rangers will turn to Matt Garza to even their record on this road trip to 3-3. Garza has allowed 14 earned runs in 15⅓ innings in September.

Garza has a reputation as a big-game pitcher. "He still may live up to that rep," manager Ron Washington said Friday.

Garza will have to improve the location of all of his pitches. He's allowed four earned runs or more in seven of his past nine starts.

"He's throwing a lot of pitches down the middle of the plate up in the zone," Washington said. "It's going to take him to just go out there and have some success to find out what he has to do. He can. He's done it before."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Rangers try to even their three-game series with the Kansas City Royals when right-hander Matt Garza faces off against Royals right-hander Jeremy Guthrie at 6:10 p.m. Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium. The game is on Fox Sports Southwest and ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM and 1540 AM.

Garza (9-6, 4.06 ERA): Garza has lost four straight decisions, the latest a 6-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Monday … He goes for his 10th win for the fifth time this season … His four straight losing decisions is a career high … Garza has failed to complete five innings in consecutive starts for the the third time in his career, with the other two times also coming in September … Garza is 2-5 with a 5.72 ERA since Aug. 3 … That's the fourth-highest ERA in the American League in that span … The Rangers are 6-5 in his starts … Run support hasn't been Garza's best friend, as he's had two runs or fewer scored for him in eight of 11 starts … He is 1-5 with a 3.83 ERA for eight career starts against the Royals,but hasn't faced them since 2010 … Garza is 0-2 with a 4.18 ERA at Kauffman Stadium.

Guthrie (14-11, 4.08): Guthrie is 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA in September … He has a career losing record of 69-88 and a 4.25 ERA … Guthrie lost his last start, allowing 13 hits, two home runs and three runs in eight innings of a 3-2 loss to Detroit … Opponents are batting .289 against him … He is 9-4 with a 4.37 ERA at home … Guthrie is 4-3 with a 3.77 ERA for his career against the Rangers.

Hitters: A.J. Pierzynski (13-for-36, 1 HR, 4 RBIs) and Ian Kinsler (10-for-29, 2 2B, RBI) have had success against Guthrie. Alex Rios has two homers against him. Billy Butler is 8-for-20 with an RBI against Garza.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Veteran players who have played the game for a long, long time and a manager who has been around baseball for more than four decades have never seen anything like this.

Sixty-three innings of not once having a lead. It's mystifying. It's frustrating. It's a lot of things.

It's the Texas Rangers losing again Monday night for their seventh consecutive defeat. Texas has gone from leading the AL West at the start of September to holding on for dear life for the second wild-card spot, a half-game ahead of the Cleveland Indians.

PODCAST
Fitzsimmons and Durrett discuss how some people are calling for the Rangers to fire manager Ron Washington. Listen

The Rangers are 2-12 for the month, and manager Ron Washington is at a loss for what's going on. The Rangers had a players-only meeting on Monday before a game with wild-card race implications against the Tampa Bay Rays, but even that couldn't keep the submarine from plunging further into the depths.

"I don't think the dictionary or thesaurus or encyclopedia has the word I am right now," Washington said when asked what he's feeling. "I'm not frustrated. I'm confused.

"I'm trying to figure out what I can do to jump-start this offense. It's showed throughout the year that they're capable. We haven't been able to get it done."

There is one obvious solution, and it didn't happen on Monday night. And it's not about the offense.

"We need a game like Yu [Darvish] threw the other day [against the Oakland Athletics]," designated hitter Lance Berkman said of Darvish's second straight 1-0 loss. "Actually, we need a game where we're never behind, even if we get through four or five innings with a 0-0 game. That's hard to ask of your pitching staff to give you a game like that."

The Rangers will start Alexi Ogando on Tuesday night with the hope he'll put up zeroes for three or four innings. Nick Tepesch or Travis Blackley might be able to give you five or six innings, but it's Ogando who gives the Rangers the best chance for shutdown innings at the start of the game.

It's something they didn't get from Matt Garza on Monday night.

Twice the Rangers scored runs to tie the game in the top of the fourth and fifth innings. And twice Garza let the Rays retake the lead in the bottom of the inning.

The bottom of the fifth was the bigger disaster. Garza didn't make it out of the inning, allowing four consecutive hits after striking out Yunel Escobar for the first out. It's the third consecutive start in which he has allowed a big inning at a crucial point in the game.

Shutdown innings. The Rangers can't get one from their starting rotation.

"That's the game," Washington said. "Your team scored, you want to go out there and put up zeroes. We just haven't been able to get it."

Garza allowed a one-out double to David DeJesus and the Rays' hits kept coming. Ben Zobrist put runners at first and third with a single. James Loney squibbed a single inside the third-base bag for a 3-2 lead. Evan Longoria went up the middle for an RBI single. Rookie Wil Myers basically put the game out of reach with a thunderous double off reliever Jason Frasor for a 6-2 Rays lead.

"My job is to put a zero on the board," Garza said. "That's what I need to start doing. I need to keep us in ballgames. That's what I have to start doing."

The Rangers' offense showed some spunk by rallying from one-run deficits in the fourth and fifth innings, and Ian Kinsler was right in the middle of both.

He had a double to open the top of the fourth, an inning in which Alex Rios ultimately scored on A.J. Pierzynski's two-out single. Kinsler tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth with a double to right field.

But he also made two outs on the bases maybe trying to do too much. In the fourth, Kinsler tried to distract Rays starter Alex Cobb by dashing toward home with one out and Rios at the plate. Rios hit a grounder sharply to third and Kinsler, who didn't keep going home, got caught in a rundown.

Then in the fifth he was the tying run at second with Elvis Andrus at the plate when Kinsler got caught trying to steal third base with two outs.

Washington said he was OK with Kinsler trying to steal the bag.

"Ian was being Ian," Washington said. "That's the way we play."

Texas Rangers (81-67, 2nd place/AL West) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (81-67, 2nd place/AL East)

Monday: RHP Matt Garza (9-5, 3.79) vs. RHP Alex Cobb (8-3, 3.08), 6:10 p.m.

Tuesday: TBA vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (11-8, 5.04), 6:10 p.m.

Wednesday: LHP Derek Holland (9-9, 3.40) vs. RHP Chris Archer (9-7, 3.03), 6:10 p.m.

Thursday: RHP Yu Darvish (12-9, 2.79) vs. LHP Matt Moore (15-3, 3.11), 6:10 p.m.

Here's what to watch for in this week's showdown series between the Rangers and Rays:

Reeling teams: The month of September began with the Rangers and Rays virtual locks to make the postseason. Now with the hard-charging Indians a half game back of the two wild-card leaders and left with a cupcake schedule, one of Texas and Tampa Bay likely will not make the playoffs. We know all about the Rangers' brutal 2-11 start to the month. The Rays are 6-8 for September and have a minus-9 run differential for the month. Tampa Bay has 11 games left with contenders Texas, Baltimore and the New York Yankees before closing with last-place Toronto. The Rays are in a really tough spot.

Final road trip: Can the Rangers get their mojo back knowing they have baseball's best road record at 42-32? Maybe playing away from home in St. Petersburg and Kansas City will take some pressure off this team. The Rangers have won some big games at Tropicana Field in the playoffs in 2010 and '11, so there's that. And Texas took two out of three games from the Rays way back in April in Arlington. The Rangers are 11-10 against Tampa Bay since the start of 2011. The Rays are a sparkling 45-28 at home for a .616 winning percentage.

Bullpen woes: The Rangers never had the lead in six games on the homestand against Pittsburgh and Oakland. That's a mind-boggling accomplishment. Here's some good news -- the Rays have lost 13 games when leading in the eighth inning or later (by comparison, the Rangers are 67-3 in those situations). The Rays pulled it off again Sunday in Minnesota, blowing a 4-2 lead in the late innings. Reliever Joel Peralta got the first two outs of the bottom of the eighth, then gave up a home run to Ryan Doumit, followed by a single, a walk and a three-run homer by Twins rookie catcher Josmil Pinto, who was playing in his 11th major league game. It was Peralta's eighth loss of the season. Yes, the Rangers need a lead -- badly. But the Rays will cough up sure victories.

Leaving them loaded: You think the Rangers can't buy a hit with runners in scoring position? The Rays are hitless in their last 15 at-bats with the bases loaded. They were 0-for-3 on Sunday. That's almost impossible. This certainly will be a four-game battle of inept offenses. But here's a caveat -- the Rangers are 15-for-49 for a .349 batting average with runners in scoring position in their last four games. Somehow they managed to lose all four games.

Garza faces former team: Rays manager Joe Maddon said Sunday in the St. Petersburg Tribune that Tampa Bay will try to put pressure on former starting pitcher Matt Garza. And that might mean throwing down a few bunts, something they know -- well all of baseball knows -- Garza is not fond of at all. "The big there is when you have the opportunity to score something, he's the kind of guy you have to score runs on with outs because he can be so tough," Maddon said of his former pitcher. Garza is 0-3 in his last four starts.