Rangers eliminated from playoff race as losing streak hits eight

ARLINGTON -- The Rangers had a less than one percent chance to make the postseason on Tuesday morning, according to Fangraphs.

That number fell to zero on Tuesday night, when the Rangers were officially eliminated from postseason contention.

The end was near all along, especially as the losing streak crept higher and higher over the last week. But Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Twins at Globe Life Field, in addition to the Guardians’ win over the Tigers, was the final nail in the coffin of a roller coaster 2025 season.

The loss extended the losing streak to a season-high eight games. All the hype this team had just 10 days ago, when they took two of three from the Mets in New York, went out with a whimper in front of the 24,674 fans at Globe Life Field.

Manager Bruce Bochy didn’t mince words when he said that it was probably the worst game of the season, even noting that it felt like the focus wasn’t there across the board.

“We looked dead,” Bochy said postgame. “I know we’ve got some injuries and things, but we just couldn't get anything going. We made too many mistakes. That's not going to work tonight. Sure, we've dealt with a tough week with the play. This is not how we want to finish.”

It’s the most critical Bochy has been of his team’s energy and effort during his three seasons at the helm.

And for good reason. Tuesday's loss was a relatively lifeless limp to elimination. The offense collected just four hits, one of which was a leadoff homer from Joc Pederson. After a Josh Jung single in the fourth inning, they proceeded to go hitless across their final 18 at-bats. That about sums up the energy in the building.

Even through the ups and downs of the 2025 season, it’s never felt quite as over as it did throughout the night on Tuesday.

“We just haven't really been playing our best baseball,” outfielder Wyatt Langford said after Sunday’s loss to the Marlins. “We were hot there for a while. You know, baseball is one of those games where it's hard to play really, really good at for a long period of time. We kind of just fell apart here the last couple days.

“I wouldn't say [it is] surprising. I'd say it just kind of sucks, really. We know how good we are, how good we can be. And to see it fall apart so fast definitely sucks.”

• Langford (side tightness) exits in midst of Rangers' tough stretch

Before this current eight-game losing streak, the Rangers controlled their own destiny after putting themselves in a position to make a splash in the American League Wild Card race, and maybe even the AL West.

Things went downhill hard and fast after that aforementioned series win in New York, including three-game sweeps at the hands of the Astros at Daikin Park and the Marlins at Globe Life Field leading into Tuesday night’s loss.

“We were feeling good going into that Houston series,” said Patrick Corbin, who was tagged with the loss. “Things just didn't go our way. I think there's probably a little letdown after that, knowing where you are at that point. … It's a tough stretch right now, I think there’s some disappointment with how it's been going, and not really being in the playoffs is tough.”

With just five games left to play and nothing really to play for, the Rangers (79-78) have to find a way to get themselves up for the final stretch of the season.

Despite that, Bochy emphasized how important it still is to finish over .500. And doing that will take much more effort than he saw from his team on Tuesday.

“Play hard,” Bochy said. “That's all I'm looking for. In a time like this, it reveals character. It’s up to us to go out there and continue to play hard. We’ve got some games left, and pitchers trying to win ballgames. These guys are trying to win games. Just play for each other, play as hard as you can out there and see what happens.”

“We want to come out and try and win every single day,” Langford added. “Play hard. We're all lucky enough to be out here and to be in the Major Leagues. We're still going to go there and give it our all.”