- The Rangers trail Houston by one game in the AL West and Cleveland by 1.5 for the last wild card.
- Arizona sits 2.5 games behind San Diego for the final NL wild card with 10 games left to play.
- Baltimore already won the first two games in New York and goes for the sweep as a moneyline underdog.
- Coby Mayo drove in three runs Tuesday and carries a 1.262 OPS against right-handers in September.
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles each sit within three games of a wild-card spot entering Wednesday’s games, with less than two weeks left in the season.
Three Tickets, Three Prices
| Team | Wild-Card Gap | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Rangers (75-76) | 1.5 back (AL) | -105 vs. Red Sox |
| Diamondbacks (80-72) | 2.5 back (NL) | -138 vs. Marlins |
| Orioles (74-78) | 3 back (AL) | +101 vs. Mets |
All three sit inside the same stretch of the schedule that legal sports betting markets treat as alive-but-longshot, and the numbers keep moving on legal MLB betting as each night’s results land.
Rangers Hold Two Paths Open
Texas beat Boston 4-2 Tuesday at Globe Life Field behind eight strikeouts in five innings from Jacob deGrom and RBIs from Corey Seager and Elias Diaz, with closer Jacob Latz working around traffic for his 30th save in 33 chances. The win kept the Rangers (75-76) one game behind Houston (76-75) in the AL West and pulled them within 1.5 games of Cleveland (77-75) for the third wild card.
Left-hander MacKenzie Gore, the majors’ leader in starts this season, faces Boston left-hander Jake Bennett on Wednesday at 8:05 p.m. ET, a matchup priced near even money even with two playoff races riding on it. Third baseman Josh Jung returned Sept. 12 after seven weeks out with a left calf strain, going 3-for-15 with a homer in four rehab games before rejoining the lineup at third base, giving Texas a right-handed bat option against Wednesday’s left-handed starter.
Diamondbacks Add Firepower Against Righties
Arizona lost 4-2 in 11 innings Tuesday after Esteury Ruiz’s three-run double broke a 1-1 tie in the 11th. Michael Soroka held Miami to one run over five innings and the bullpen followed with five scoreless frames, but the Diamondbacks stranded 15 runners and missed a chance to gain ground when San Diego also lost. Arizona (80-72) stayed 2.5 games behind the Padres for the final NL wild card with 10 games to play.
The lineup has struggled against right-handed pitching all season, which is why the club claimed left-handed-hitting outfielder Jesus Sanchez off waivers from Toronto on Sept. 14 and brought back Pavin Smith, who posted a .927 OPS in 39 games at Triple-A Reno, a mark well above the league-average line, two days earlier.
Both are options to start Wednesday when right-hander Merrill Kelly faces Miami’s Ryan Gusto at Chase Field (9:40 p.m. ET). Arizona is favored at -138, a price that raises the cost of another flat night against a righty so soon after Tuesday’s collapse.
Orioles Go For The Sweep
Baltimore has already taken this series, beating the Mets 2-1 Monday to formally eliminate New York from postseason contention, then piling up seven runs Tuesday behind Coby Mayo’s 2-for-5, three-RBI night. The Orioles improved to 74-78, still the longest shot of the three at three games back of Cleveland for the final AL wild card with 10 games left.
Mayo has driven the recent stretch: he has a 1.262 OPS against right-handers in September, with his strikeout rate against them down to 6.7 percent, after managing a .450 OPS against righties through June. He faces another right-hander Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. ET, when Chris Bassitt starts for Baltimore against Mets right-hander Robert Stock at Citi Field. The Orioles are a moneyline underdog at +101 for the finale, a price that treats a sweep of an eliminated team as no sure thing.
Ten games remain for Arizona and Baltimore, 11 for Texas, and all three boards reset again as soon as Wednesday’s results are final.
