The Rangers went 3 and 1 this stretch, and it put them in first place in the American League West. They beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-6, took the series from the Houston Astros two games to one, and that's enough to erase the half game deficit from last week. Texas now sits at the top of the division with a record of 49 and 47, zero games back.
The series against the Angels started July 9 with that 7-6 win, then the Astros came in for three games. The Rangers won game one 7-3, dropped game two 3-9, then came back to take the finale 6-5 on July 12. That's a series win, and with Seattle going 1 and 3 and Houston going 1 and 2 in this same stretch, the division moved in Texas's favor.
Ezequiel Duran (SS) was the story at the plate. On July 11 he went 2 for 4 with two home runs and three RBI, and across these four games he hit .308 with 3 home runs and 5 RBI. Brandon Nimmo (RF) homered and drove in a run on July 9, and Jake Burger (1B) had a big four RBI game on July 10 despite just one hit. On the mound, Cal Quantrill threw six innings on July 10, allowing just one earned run.
The Rangers haven't played since that July 12 win over Houston. The league paused for the All-Star Game on July 14, so it's been a quiet few days. They're back at it on Friday, July 17, opening a three game series at the Atlanta Braves, first pitch at 4:15 PM.