ARLINGTON - The Texas Rangers finally have the American League West to themselves. The next question is whether the rotation that got them there can finish the job.
Texas beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 on Saturday night at Globe Life Field and watched the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros 6-3, moving into sole possession of first place at 78-77, one game ahead of Houston at 77-78.
The Associated Press noted it was the Rangers' first solo lead in the division since late August and their first winning record since before play on Aug. 11. Sports Illustrated put the last one-game lead even earlier, on July 29, before a late-July Astros sweep knocked Texas backward.
The board looks cleaner than it did 24 hours earlier. The path does not. Houston still owns the season-series edge after taking nine of 13 from Texas this year, so an even finish still hands the division to the Astros.
Dallas Sports Journal and MLB standings math both frame the same hard number: Houston's elimination number is seven, and any mix of seven Rangers wins and Astros losses closes the door. Seven games remain for both clubs.
Quantrill's early exit turns Sunday into more than a series finale
Right-hander Cal Quantrill left after 12 pitches and four batters with right lat tightness, the Associated Press reported. He retired George Springer on a groundout to open the second and left without obvious pain after a mound visit from manager Skip Schumaker, pitching coach Jordan Tiegs and head trainer Matt Lucero.
Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, cited by Dallas Sports Journal, logged Quantrill's final four-seamer at 87.8 mph against a season average of 93.8 on that pitch.
Schumaker said after the game there was "no real update" and that Quantrill would undergo an MRI on Sunday. The timing matters. Quantrill's previous start, Sept. 13 at Arizona, also ended early on the health ledger: his back tightened after the fifth inning of a 7-6 win, though he finished six innings on 70 pitches.
On Rangers Sports Network's pregame show Saturday, Schumaker said all of the club's starters were day-to-day and that Saturday would be the first time he had seen Quantrill throw with intent since the Arizona outing, Dallas Sports Journal reported.
Jordan Montgomery covered 3 2/3 hitless innings after Quantrill exited and earned his first major league win since August 2024. Nathan Eovaldi, Robert Garcia, Chase Silseth and Jacob Latz followed. The bullpen bridge worked for one night. It is not a seven-game plan.
What seven games look like on each side of the race
Jacob deGrom (11-9, 3.79 ERA) starts Sunday's series finale at 1:35 p.m. CT. The Associated Press noted he is 8-2 at home this season with a .183 opponents batting average. Toronto is lined up for a bullpen day built around Spencer Arrighetti, who beat Texas twice while pitching for Houston earlier this season, per Dallas Sports Journal.
