Chris Young Believes Rangers Still Control Playoff Destiny

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday the club still controls its own destiny with 12 games left, even though it is behind in the standings. Texas opens a nine-game homestand Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox.

Young spoke on the team’s off day during his weekly segment on 105.3 The Fan’s G-Bag Nation.

At 74-76, the Rangers are one game behind the Houston Astros in the American League West and two games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third American League wild card. Houston holds the tiebreaker. Before Sunday’s win, Baseball Reference put the Rangers’ postseason odds at 10.0%.

On Sunday, Texas recalled outfielder Alejandro Osuna from Triple-A Round Rock and optioned Cam Cauley.

“The day off’s nice. It’s nice to have a stress-free day and just think about the coming week and the next 12 days, really,” Young said. “We’ve been meeting as a group, doing some strategic planning and thinking through anything we can do roster-wise to try to give this team the best chance to win. And here we are.”

The six-game road trip opened with a 10-5 win in Seattle on Sept. 8. Texas then lost 3-2 and 4-3 to the Seattle Mariners and 9-1 to the Arizona Diamondbacks before winning 6-2 and 7-6 at Chase Field.

“The road trip obviously got off to a good start,” Young continued. “Then really the next three were really, really tough. Not just the fact that we lost, but the way we lost a couple of those in Seattle were really, really tough losses. And then the first night in Arizona, the team showed just great resilience and found a way to bounce back Saturday and Sunday against a very good Arizona team.”

“So we got 12 to play,” Young added. “We’re in a playoff race, and that’s all you can ask for at this point. My hope is that we can go grab this.”

Chris Young Takes Five Games Over .500 At This Point

Young did not remember setting a win target a couple of weeks ago, but a run of five or six straight wins, or eight in a row, would put Texas in a great spot, he said.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember that. I’ll let you guys hold me to it,” Young explained. “But look, I’ll take five games over at this point. If I think we get to that point, we’d be in a really good spot. So I think this season has been such an up-and-down season, and I wish I was smart enough to tell you what it’s going to take.”

“I do feel, even though we are behind in the standings, I do feel like with 12 games left, we still control our own destiny,” Young detailed, “to the extent that if we go on a run here and win five, six in a row, or if we win eight in a row, I think that would put us in a great spot. But I can’t tell you for certain what it’s going to take. My hope is that we play our best baseball these next 12 games. And if we do, we’ll be in the playoffs.”

Texas is 40-32 at Globe Life Field and 34-44 on the road. After Boston, the Rangers host the Toronto Blue Jays for three games starting Friday and the New York Mets for three. They close with three games at the Minnesota Twins, and the regular season ends Sept. 27.

Chris Young Lays Out Texas Rangers’ Plan Against Boston Red Sox

Young singled out Boston’s bullpen ahead of its starters. The Red Sox are 82-68 and activated first baseman Willson Contreras, their home run leader, from the injured list Sunday. Left-hander Patrick Sandoval (1-5, 4.58 ERA) starts Tuesday.

“It’s a team that can really pitch. Their bullpen is really good. Their starters are solid,” Young said. “We’ve got to jump out and get an early lead. We’ve got to put pressure on their starting pitchers, and we’ve got to keep their leverage arms out of the game. And if we can do that, I think that’s our path to victory. If we can play from ahead, we’ve done that very well this year, and it’s important we do it this series.”

Texas will face left-handed starters Tuesday and Wednesday. Designated hitter Joc Pederson, who is tied for the team lead with 26 home runs, is day to day with a swollen left hand, and Young said he hopes Pederson is back in the lineup by Thursday.

First pitch Tuesday is 7:05 p.m. CT on Rangers Sports Network.