Rangers Defeat Angels 9-2, Clinch AL West Title
Signed to three more years, the three-time All-Star lefty gives Texas a legitimate ace for the playoffs and enormous hope for the future after he and his wife gave Texas the most marks on a 50-point checklist before the trading deadline and hand-picked the Rangers.
The Astros are going to the playoffs for the first time in a decade despite ending the regular season with a 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
The difference between winning the division title and settling for a Wild Card is significant, with the Astros now facing a one-and-done situation should they lose to the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
“They played hard, they played long, and for us to even be talking about a playoff opportunity the last week of the season had everything to do with the guys in that room”.
Kershaw allowed two hits and no walks on 60 pitches over 3 2/3 scoreless innings.
Texas plays its first AL Division Series game since 2011 on Thursday at Toronto. A win in game 162 was a win for the division. Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Kang Jung-ho has been ruled out for the season with a leg injury, but the Bucs have won one of the NL’s two wild cards.
The Pirates had home-field advantage for the NL Wild Card Game last season and fell short with Edinson Volquez on the mound. A solid left hand-dominant lineup and strong pitching brought them from the depths earlier this season to wrest the divisional crown from the shocking Astros and avoid the risky, one-game, wild-card showdown. The win secured home field advantage throughout the postseason for the Royals.
Rangers: A day off Monday before working out at home Tuesday and then traveling to Toronto for Game 1 of the ALDS.
The Rangers clinched no worse than a wild card with their 5-3 win in the opener of the four-game series Thursday night before the Angels won the next two games with ninth-inning rallies.
All of this in mind, the Rangers needed to execute their game plan on Sunday.
Miller ended a franchise-record 24 consecutive winless starts and broke a 13-game losing streak. He struck out six and walked two. He threw 110 pitches.
Rookie right-hander Matt Wisler pitched 8-2/3 shutout innings as the Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 in the second game of a double header. With a run on the board already, that home run took a 2-1 Angels lead and crushed it into 3-2 Rangers lead goop. Each had five homers and combined for 15 doubles.
Anthony Gose, Tyler Collins and Daniel Norris led the Detroit Tigers to a 6-0 win over the Chicago White Sox.
It all exploded in one horrific, 37-minute seventh inning when the season went down the drain.
ANAHEIM, CA – SEPTEMBER 27: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates his run with C.J. Cron #24 to tie the score 1-1 with the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 27, 2015 in Anaheim, California.
If you’re one of the clubs that has loads of money to spend, then there’s a good chance you’re going to spend it. For others, it’s important to try and get the most out of their money.
Tampa Bay scored nine times in the bottom of the first thanks mostly to Butler’s grand slam, the first of the season for the Rays. Those 12 starts include a no-hitter against the NL West division-winning LA Dodgers, and two impressive appearances against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Texas had clinched a playoff spot on Friday night, taking game one of their three-game set with the Halos, and it was naturally assumed that the Rangers would finish the job on Saturday afternoon in front of a national television audience on Fox.