The Rangers came within one win of a clean Blue Jays sweep, then watched Sunday get away from them early at Globe Life Field. Toronto’s 7-2 victory left Texas at .500, 78-78, with the final week of the regular season offering little room for a stumble.
A series win, but no sweep
Texas took the first two games of the weekend set, continuing a strong run of home series play. Still, the finale mattered. With Jacob deGrom facing a Toronto bullpen game, the Rangers had a chance to add a sweep to a division race that remains tight.
Instead, the Blue Jays struck first and stayed in control. The Rangers entered the day with a 21-55 record in games when the other club scored first, and that familiar problem surfaced again.
- DeGrom opened the game by walking Brett Bateman.
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed with a single that moved Bateman from first to third.
- Bateman scored on a sacrifice fly, putting Toronto ahead 1-0.
- Bateman later drew another leadoff walk from deGrom and again came home, giving the Blue Jays another early run.
- Toronto continued to add on and finished with a 7-2 decision, denying Texas the weekend sweep.
Division lead still belongs to Texas
The loss did not cost the Rangers first place in the American League West. They carried a one-game edge over the Astros, who stood at 77-79, into Monday’s scheduled off-day.
There is some sturdiness in the home results, even if Sunday offered no celebration. Texas has gone unbeaten in its past nine home series, posting an 8-0-1 mark in that span. It is the club’s longest unbeaten home-series streak of the Globe Life Field era, which began in 2020.
But the Rangers have not finished off a series sweep since taking four straight in Toronto from June 25 through June 28. Their most recent sweep in Arlington came against Kansas City from May 29 through May 31.
That is the thin line Texas is walking now. Winning series has kept the Rangers in front, but with only days remaining on the calendar, a series victory no longer feels like enough when a sweep is sitting there in the ninth inning of the weekend.
