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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 -- For those of you searching for someone to blame for the fact that a second consecutive season ended in early disappointment for the Texas Rangers, get your mitts off the manager.

It’s not that Ron Washington won’t accept his share. He will. He’s always been that way. But don’t pin it all on a guy who managed to keep his club together and focused, even when the season started to get away from it.

How many teams would have recovered from the gut punch of a walk-off grand slam in Kansas City that pretty much locked up the AL West for the Oakland A's? But the Rangers came home and won seven straight games to force Game 163, only to have the season end with baserunning blunders and missed opportunities.

General manager Jon Daniels and his staff will undoubtedly go through a detailed analysis of what went wrong in 2013. The problems are many. This team was crushed by injuries, starting with former 18-game winner Matt Harrison. They were supposed to have Colby Lewis back in June, but the only time he took the mound for the Rangers this season was to throw the ceremonial first pitch prior to Monday’s game. Lance Berkman never did earn the $11 million the club paid him. Nelson Cruz’s 50-game suspension took a productive power bat out of the lineup for too long.

This team didn’t have enough in the lineup to consistently score runs, and the starting pitching depth was tested.

How much of that is the manager’s fault? In many ways, he should be lauded for managing to keep his team in the race for a playoff spot as long as he did. It helped that the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels were in the AL West for the Rangers to feast on. I’ll grant you that. But this team was fighting until the end, despite a disappearing act in early September that erased hope for a division title.

“He’s been on top of it all,” pitcher Derek Holland said about Washington’s leadership. “He doesn’t let any of the pressure get to us. He’s been behind us. He’s been pulling for us. He’s a great leader.

“He knows what to say, when to say it and how to say it.”

Consider how Washington utilized team meetings this season. The skipper doesn’t care for them. He understands you can’t overdo it as a manager when it comes to gathering your team as a group. But each time he did it this season -- and it was more than he would have liked -- he got results.

This is clearly a team still heeding Washington’s message. The Rangers were far from perfect, as Monday's adventures on the basepaths illustrated. But, all along, Washington has maintained that his team’s aggressive play on the bases sometimes results in mistakes. He lives with them because, more times than not, his runners make things happen with their legs. It was that type of baseball that helped them play well in August despite not having Cruz in the lineup.

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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 -- This time last season, Martin Perez was going through something brand new -- pitching in a big league pennant race.

The 21-year-old allowed four runs in four innings in a 4-3 loss to Oakland in Game 160 of the season. The Rangers lost two more games and the division to the A's.

A year later, Perez is in a different place.

He finds himself pitching Monday night in Game 163, the American League wild-card tiebreaker game against former Cy Young winner David Price and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Perez is confident. He believes in himself. And he says he's ready to help the Rangers move into the postseason by winning Monday's elimination game.

"When you're on this level, you have to be ready for whatever decision they make, and I'm ready," Perez said. "That's why I'm here. They trust me, and I just have to do my job."

Perez is trusted because he carried the Rangers' rotation as a 22-year-old in August and September. While Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Matt Garza weren't winning consistently, Perez put together a six-game winning streak.

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

Perez had a 2.76 ERA and a .236 opponents batting average during that stretch. He walked only 11 in 42 1/3 innings.

This is a different Perez from last year in Oakland.

"He's one of the reasons why we are getting this opportunity, and it's his turn," manager Ron Washington said. "He's well-rested. We have plenty of guys to back him up. If it gets out of control, we can stop it quickly. We have a lot of confidence in him."

Don't expect Perez to be intimidated by Price. He went up against some big-time starters during his winning streak, including fellow Venezuelan Felix Hernandez and also Chris Sale.

Perez beat his hero Hernandez, another former Cy Young winner, twice in the span of 11 days.

"I don't face David Price, because he doesn't hit," Perez said. "I'm just going to face the hitters and just want to my best. I know it's an important game for us. I just want to go to the mound and have the same focus and throw strikes, do what I have to do to win the game, because tomorrow's game is the most important game we have."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers finished the season with seven straight wins, all at home, to extend their season. If they want to play into October, they'll need to make it eight straight with a win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. Texas won the season series after splitting a four-game set last week. Let's take a look at three reasons the Rangers win and three reasons their season ends tonight.

3 REASONS RANGERS WIN:

1: Momentum. This team has a bunch of that right now, and it's not as if they have to worry about travel or anything else. They can treat this like a continuation of the week. It's been a really good week. They are getting clutch hits. The starting pitching has been solid, and the bullpen has been lights out. The Rangers are playing confident baseball. No reason to think it won't continue.

2: Nelson Cruz. No other playoff team welcomes the kind of bat the Rangers do. Cruz, whose 50-game suspension ended after Sunday's final pitch, is the kind of streaky player who can carry an offense. He hasn't played in a big league game since early August, but that might not matter. He's a force to be reckoned with and he'll be in there for Game 163. He said Sunday that he's excited to have a chance to help the team he left because of the suspension early last month.

3: David Price. Seems strange to put him in there, but take a look at his numbers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in his career. They are ugly. He's got a 10.26 ERA in his career in Arlington, though he hasn't pitched in Texas since August 2012. His postseason numbers against Texas aren't great, either. He's 0-3 with a 4.66 ERA in three American League Division Series starts in 2010 and 2011. If the Rangers hit him like they have in the past, it's a recipe for moving on to Cleveland on Wednesday.

3 REASONS RANGERS LOSE:

1: Price. No, that's not a typo. The reality is that, while Price hasn't been the same pitcher in 2013 that he was in 2012, he's still a Cy Young Award winner. He'd like nothing better than to finally beat the Rangers in a game that matters, and he has that opportunity. If the Price of last season shows up, it could be a long night for the Rangers.

2: Tired bullpen. The Rangers' relief corps has been tremendous this week. They've also been worked hard. There was no choice, of course. Any loss would have meant the end of Texas' season. But Joe Nathan and Tanner Scheppers have pitched in each of the past four games. Do they have a fifth straight game in them? Manager Ron Washington needs innings from his starter and some help from other arms in his bullpen.

3: Martin Perez. He's got 10 wins and hasn't looked like a rookie out on the mound of late. He also seemed very calm answering questions from the media in the clubhouse after Sunday's game. But what if he squints in the bright lights? That could change everything. Perez is a big X-factor in this game. That should be interesting to watch.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Rangers will play another day.

Texas railled from an early 1-0 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Angels, 6-2, on Sunday afternoon at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, clinching a spot in the American League wild-card play-in game against the Tampa Bay Rays at 7:07 p.m. Monday in Arlington.

The Rangers won seven straight games, all at home, to keep their postseason dream alive.

Soto's clutch hit: The Rangers responded after giving up the lead in the top of the sixth. With the score tied at 2-2, Adrian Beltre started a two-out uprising with a single to right field. A.J. Pierzynski followed with a bloop single to right field. That brought up Geovany Soto, who has been on a late-season tear. Soto ripped an RBI double into center field to score Beltre for a 3-2 lead. Soto also had a home run in the top of the ninth. Soto is 13-for-31 with three home runs and seven RBIs in his last 10 games.

Big insurance run: The Rangers took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh when Craig Gentry had a leadoff single and a stolen base. The Angels brought in Juan Gutierrez in relief and Ian Kinsler grounded the first pitch he saw into left field for a huge insurance run.

Scheppers again: Tanner Scheppers needed just nine pitches to get the top of the Angels' lineup in the top of the eighth. He gave up a leadoff single to J.B. Shuck on a 0-2 pitch, but bounced back by getting Erick Aybar to ground into a double play. Scheppers then got Mike Trout to fly out to right field. Trout is 0-for-4 lifetime against Scheppers.

Beltre goes deep: Beltre is having a tough September and appeared to tweak his left hamstring running the bases in the sixth inning. But he still had the flair dramatic as shown by his home run to center field in the bottom of the eighth to give the Rangers a 5-2 lead. Beltre has two homers on this homestand.

Rangers take lead: The Rangers had trailed 1-0 since the first inning on Mike Trout's two-out home run when they finally took a lead in the fifth. Pierzynski started the bottom of the fifth with a double to center field. Soto then walked and both advanced on Jason Vargas' errant pickoff throw while Mitch Moreland was batting. After Moreland struck out, Gentry lined a two-run single into center field for a 2-1 lead.

Darvish out early: Manager Ron Washington made the very difficult decision of pulling Yu Darvish at 84 pitches in the sixth inning and bringing in Neal Cotts to face Josh Hamilton with two runners on. At issue is Darvish's inability to get a shutdown inning late in the season. With the Rangers leading 2-1 after Gentry's two-run single, Darvish allowed a single to No. 9 hitter Andrew Romine, then got a nifty double play started by Kinsler. Darvish then allowed a single to Aybar and four-pitch walk to Trout. That brought Washington out of the dugout. Darvish has given back the lead in the inning after the Rangers give him the lead in four of his last seven starts. Washington was trying to avoid that.

Hambone hurts Rangers: But Cotts couldn't get out Hamilton. He got ahead of him with a 1-2 count, but tried to go with a high fastball away to the former Ranger, who was able to go upstairs to line a single into left field to tie the game at 2-2.

Gentry gone wild: Gentry was on base three times Sunday with two singles and a walk. He is 15-for-31 in his last nine games.

Up next: The Rangers will play the Tampa Bay Rays in a wild-card play-in game at 7:07 p.m. Monday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Texas will go with left-hander Martin Perez (10-5, 3.55 ERA) while the Rays will counter with left-hander David Price (9-8, 3.39 ERA).

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 – Sunday is a chance for Yu Darvish to shut up the critics. It’s also his chance to keep the Texas Rangers' season alive.

Darvish can silence those who have questioned his status as an ace in the American League, thanks to his inability to hold leads late in meaningful games the past month. Four times in his last seven starts, the Rangers have given Darvish a lead, only to watch him surrender it back in the opponent’s very next at-bat. It hasn’t helped that the Rangers’ offense has nearly disappeared when Darvish is on the mound. After all, he’s lost four 1-0 games this season.

Is that nit-picking a pitcher that has some of the best numbers in the AL this year? Yep. But that’s the standard that Darvish has set. That’s what comes with the label of “ace.” Darvish is supposed to hold leads, especially as the game progresses. He hasn’t done that consistently.

Now, though, none of that matters. Darvish can erase those memories if he can pitch his team past game No. 162. The playoffs may not have officially started in other cities, but in Arlington, they’ve been chugging along for a week now. And the Rangers don’t look like the same team that started September with a huge thud, dropping them right out of contention in the AL West.

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jurickson Profar has said many times during this season that it's been nothing but a positive experience being in the big leagues all season, as opposed to getting everyday at-bats in Triple-A.

His manager, Ron Washington, has seen the growth too, well before the 20-year-old infielder produced one of the biggest moments of the season, a walk-off home run to beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-5 on Thursday night.

"It's been invaluable," Washington said of Profar's time with this year's club.

The numbers might not show it. Profar is batting .235 with six home runs and 26 RBIs. He has a .309 on-base percentage.

He's only played in two of the last 18 games and last started on Sept. 18 at Tampa Bay. But Profar showed Thursday night none of this seems to be fazing him.

"He's not afraid," Washington said. "Even to this point, if you look at the production and the struggles he's had, he's been a big part of us being able to play like we are right now with a chance to make it to the playoffs. And last night was just a little bit of icing on the cake that he was able to come through for us. He has to grow from it. He'll be a better player for it."

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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rangers manager Ron Washington refused to lament his club's situation Wednesday, still stuck behind Tampa Bay and Cleveland in the American League wild-card race.

He wants the fans to be excited, to enjoy these last five games.

Yes, if the season ended today, the Rangers would be out of the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.

PODCAST
Chuck Cooperstein joins Ian Fitzsimmons and Tim MacMahon to discuss why he feels Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish isn't an ace. Listen

But it's not over yet.

"It's fun, it's nerve-wracking, it's all of the above," Washington said. "No matter what, I'm proud of these guys for the way they have fought all year with all the adversity. They never complained.

"It's fun, it's nerve-wracking and your stomach gets in knots. But what doesn't get in knots is your focus. You have to do what you have to do. You've got to live with what's going on in front of us."

The Rangers may be victims of their own success when it comes to perception with their fans and some of those that opine about the club. One local columnist compared this week to a funeral procession.

National and local columnists and talk shows are already playing the blame game with the Rangers a game out of the second wild-card spot.

The Rangers are 7-15 in September and another final month fade could be happening in Arlington. Texas had a two-game lead in the AL West when September started and Oakland clinched its second consecutive division title on Sunday as the Rangers faltered.

Still, the Rangers could win their final five games -- all at home -- and make the playoffs. Maybe even make the World Series for a third time in four years.

“You look at every other city that has a chance of being in the playoffs now, and there’s joy,” Washington said. “I don’t see a whole lot of joy in Arlington. I’m not knocking anybody. I just don’t see it. All they can talk about is how we collapsed. That’s not right.”

Moreland back at first: Mitch Moreland drew Wednesday's start against a left-hander, Houston's Dallas Keuchel. He has hits in two straight games after going though an 0-for-14 stretch.

Remember that Moreland hit a home run off the last left-handed starter the Rangers faced, Tampa Bay's Matt Moore, on Thursday in an 8-2 victory.

"My options are limited, so I put him in there," Washington said. "He may catch one. He is my best first baseman, so I'm going to take my chances and see what happens."

Wash trusts Frasor: There was still much discussion Wednesday about Washington opting for reliever Jason Frasor with runners at first and third and two outs in the bottom of the eighth with the Rangers clinging to a 3-2 lead over Houston and not closer Joe Nathan for a four-out save.

Washington trusts Frasor, and the veteran reliever came through for him after taking the loss Friday in Kansas City.

"Early on he was just having trouble getting going," Washington said. "But the more we've been able to get him the ball, the more in tune he has become with his stuff."

Frasor, who first starting warming up in the fourth inning with Yu Darvish struggling, entered the game four innings later.

"I've pitched in the fourth (inning) and the ninth in my career," Frasor said. "I was ready to go."

Short hops: The Rangers have won 86 games for a club-record five consecutive seasons. They had won 86-plus games just twice in franchise history before this winning run. ... Darvish has a major league-league leading 269 strikeouts, equaling the most in a single season since Randy Johnson had 290 Ks for Arizona in 2004. Justin Verlander also had 269 punchouts in 2009.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A relieved Adrian Beltre cranked his first home run in 28 days in the Rangers' 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

It was a moment that, quite honestly, Beltre hasn't delivered in a while. He had carried the Rangers in July and August. He even pushed his way into the American League MVP race.

But the power had been out since Aug. 28 in Seattle. Beltre had reached 83 at-bats without a home run when he stepped up in the bottom of the sixth with the scored tied at 2. That's when he finally delivered against Astros starter Brad Peacock, sending a rocket into the left-field seats to give Texas a win on a wild night in the American League wild-card race.

When Beltre homers, the Rangers win. They are now 24-3 when he goes deep.

"Apparently, I found out a way today," Beltre said of his 29th homer. "It’s been a long time. It felt good. It felt really good. I haven’t had that feeling in a long time."

Neither had his teammates. They were sleeping when he arrived to the dugout instead of fighting to get to him to take his helmet off and touch his head, something he hates. This time, only manager Ron Washington came up on the dugout steps to greet Beltre.

"I can’t blame them," Beltre said. "It’s been a long time, but hopefully that’ll be the beginning of a couple this week. Not because I hit a homer, but because it was a good spot to hit it to give our ballclub the lead, and that’s what I want."

This was another big win because the Astros team that sleepwalked through a 12-0 loss on Monday was much more energized for the Rangers and Yu Darvish. Not to mention that the Rangers desperately needed the win to keep pace with the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians, who both won their fifth straight game on Tuesday.

The Indians won 5-4 over the Chicago White Sox on a walk-off homer by 42-year-old Jason Giambi. Beltre admitted he was scoreboard watching and saw that Cleveland had won to stay a game ahead of the Rangers. Texas is two back of the Rays for the first wild-card spot.

"I think every inning I was watching the scoreboard," Beltre said. "It’s right there to look at, so every time I get a chance, I look[ed] back to see what the score was."

The Rangers won a night when Darvish again wasn't at his best. For the third time in September, he didn't make it through six innings. Also for the third time since the All-Star break, Darvish allowed a game-tying home run after the Rangers had given him the lead. The Astros joined the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox by accomplishing that against Darvish.

Darvish didn't have much to say about giving up another lead.

"The most important thing right now is to win a game," Darvish said. "I was able to keep us in the game, and that's all I can say."

The bullpen -- along with Beltre -- won the game for the Rangers. Neal Cotts got three outs, and Tanner Scheppers picked up four as Washington went to the bullpen earlier with the game on the line.

Then, with two runners on and two outs in the top of the eighth and Scheppers tiring -- he said so after the game -- Washington went to Jason Frasor, who got Astros catcher Carlos Corporan out.

Frasor took the loss on Friday in Kansas City when Neftali Feliz walked in the go-ahead run with the bases loaded, all runners Frasor had put on. So Frasor wanted to get the bad taste out of his mouth.

He threw two fastballs to Corporan to get ahead. He threw a third to Corporan, who hit a ball to shallow center field that looked like it was dropping at first. Center fielder Leonys Martin came in and made the catch, ending the inning.

"When I first saw it go up, I thought it was going to fall in," Frasor said. "I couldn't tell how shallow Leonys was playing. He must have gotten a good jump. He came in and got it."

Joe Nathan closed it out, and the Rangers are still in striking distance of the Indians and Rays with five games to go.

And Adrian Beltre has his power back.

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.

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. -- The Texas Rangers found themselves in a bullpen dilemma on Friday night in a tie game against the Kansas City Royals.

Out of choice options, they went to one-time closer Neftali Feliz, who threw four pitches -- all balls -- with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run. The Rangers were left to deal with a 2-1 loss to the Royals that further tightened the American League wild-card race.

How it came down to Feliz is an interesting story.

Manager Ron Washington was asked before the game if Feliz was ready to close a game if other options -- Joe Nathan, Tanner Scheppers, Neal Cotts and Joakim Soria, in particular -- were unavailable because of a heavy workload.

It led to a healthy debate among the manager and his inquisitors and yielded an answer that could only truly be made after seeing Feliz in a pressure situation. After all, he had pitched in only five games after missing 13 months recovering from Tommy John ligament replacement surgery.

Well, that pressure moment, with more than 30,000 Royals fans on their feet, ended up happening seven hours later.

Jason Frasor, who has had a brilliant season, actually started the bottom of the eighth on the mound for the Rangers. He got two quick outs and looked like he was headed to a 1-2-3 inning.

Then, Lorenzo Cain battled him for a single up the middle, and Mike Moustakas blooped a single over shortstop Elvis Andrus' glove into left field for a single to move Cain to third. Frasor ended up walking the bases loaded after getting ahead of pinch hitter David Lough with a 1-2 count but failing to put him away.

With the bags full and Frasor at 26 pitches, Washington needed another option out of the bullpen.

He wasn't going to Scheppers -- who had pitched in three straight games -- unless it was absolutely necessary, e.g., extra innings. Or Soria, who had pitched in back-to-back games Tuesday and Wednesday. Cotts had already done his work, getting four outs.

Scheppers had told pitching coach Mike Maddux he could go if needed after throwing 28 pitches in his three consecutive appearances, which meant extra innings if necessary.

"If we had to use him [we would have]," Washington said. "Other than that, I can't hurt the kid."

So Washington decided on Feliz, a highly risky move just because -- again -- he hasn't pitched much. And Feliz showed the rust, guiding four pitches up to the plate, none of them close to the strike zone.

"I was frustrated that I wasn't able to locate the ball," Feliz said. "I understand that's part of the game. I'll keep my head up and try tomorrow."

Frasor could only watch. He was so close to getting out of the inning a couple of times -- at first, it looked like Andrus would catch Moustakas' flare, and Frasor made Lough look bad early in the count -- but it didn't come out in his favor.

"It stinks when you to have to be taken out for someone else," Frasor said. "That's a tough spot for Nefti."

Yes, it was.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Rangers were back in win mode before Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, bouncing around the clubhouse with country star Luke Bryan's song "Crash My Party" blaring on the sound system.

Manager Ron Washington admitted he had a hard time crashing after Wednesday night's excruciating 4-3 loss to the Rays in 12 innings, with the the Rangers coming within a strike twice of winning the game in 11.

Washington said he was up until 2:30 a.m. thinking about several things, from Derek Holland's bounce-back start to the Rangers' inability to turn a double play in the sixth inning -- which was followed up by Holland allowing a game-tying, two-run home run.

There was the combined work of Elvis Andrus scurrying around the bases and third-base coach Gary Pettis being alert enough to send him home for the go-ahead run in the 11th inning. There was Joe Nathan's blown save in the bottom of the inning, the Rangers' failure to score with runners at first and third and one out in the top of the 12th and the lack of execution by reliever Joseph Ortiz in the bottom of the 12th.

It was a lot of stuff; enough to keep you up all night.

"Each game we play is meaningful," Washington said.

One thing Washington wanted to clear up -- Jurickson Profar's poor throw turning the double play in the bottom of the sixth that would have ended the inning with Rangers still ahead 2-0. It wasn't a rookie mistake, Washington said.

"I've been seeing Profar field his butt off," Washington said. "I don't think it was a young mistake. It was a mistake, that's all. Any second baseman in the game could have done that, pulled it. We didn't need it to be pulled. We needed it to be turned, and we didn't get it turned.

"I put him out there because I trust him. And I don't think that the moment had anything to do with it. I've seen him turn tough double plays with people on top of him. I've seen him turn all kinds of double plays."

Bullpen turns: Nathan, Neal Cotts and Tanner Scheppers all have pitched in back-to-back games in the series. Expect to see them again Thursday night if the Rangers have a late-inning lead.

"If we get in a position and have a chance to put the game away, then the guys we've been using all year to put it away will be out there," Washington said. "I don't think anybody's concerned about getting rest now."

Baker at DH: Jeff Baker was the designated hitter Thursday, and don't expect to see him at first base anytime soon. He is nursing a groin injury.

Utility man Adam Rosales would be the first option as a right-handed hitting first baseman against a lefty starter. But Mitch Moreland was in the lineup Thursday for his defense.

Soria returns to Kansas City: Joakim Soria returns Friday to Kansas City, where he was the Royals' closer and pitched for five seasons. Soria downplayed his return.

"I don't think too much about that," Soria said. "I'm thinking about helping this team win. It's a pleasure to return to Kansas City because they gave me a chance to be a big league pitcher."

Short hops: Cotts has the lowest qualifying ERA in the majors with a 1.07 mark. … The Rangers are 3-8 in extra innings, the worst winning percentage and lowest win total in the majors.