Rangers pound White Sox 11-2, take sole possession of first
An 11-2 win at Chicago capped a 4-1 stretch and put Texas in sole possession of first place in the AL West, half a game up on Houston.
Burger, Langford homer in Chicago rout
White Sox11-2The Rangers beat the White Sox 11-2 on the road on August 24, part of a stretch that has them 4-1 in their last five games. Wyatt Langford went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI, Jake Burger added a double and a homer with two RBI of his own, and Kumar Rocker struck out eight over 5.2 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs.
Corey Seager chipped in a 3-for-4 night with two doubles and three RBI, the latest entry in a run that has him among the hottest hitters in the league right now.
Seager's tear pushes Texas into first
| AL West | W | L | Pct | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Rangers | 66 | 66 | .500 | — |
 Astros | 65 | 66 | .496 | 0.5 |
 Mariners | 63 | 69 | .477 | 3.0 |
 Angels | 52 | 80 | .394 | 14.0 |
 Athletics | 51 | 81 | .386 | 15.0 |
Per the Rangers' own account, Corey Seager is hitting .462 with a 1.277 OPS over his last 11 games, a stretch that has carried Texas to a 66-66 record and, per TalkinBaseball_, sole possession of first place in the AL West. The Rangers sit half a game up on Houston, three games up on Seattle, and 14 up on the Angels, whose 52-80 mark leaves them an elimination number of 17.
A .500 record leading a division says as much about the rest of the West as it does about Texas — Houston's own 65-66 mark puts an elimination number of 31 on the Astros, and Seattle's 63-69 start leaves them with an elimination number of 28 to make up three games. As long as Seager keeps hitting like this, the Rangers are the team to catch.
Upcoming
Jacob deGrom (9-8, 3.77 ERA) takes the mound as the Rangers are in Chicago tonight, coming off a start against Washington on August 20 in which he struck out 10 over six shutout innings, allowing one hit and a walk in the win. He faces Anthony Kay (9-6, 3.96 ERA), who took the loss in his last outing against Atlanta on August 20, allowing two earned runs and striking out six over six innings.
Texas is favored tonight, and the total points to a low-scoring game — no surprise with deGrom, who struck out 10 in his last start, on the mound against a White Sox lineup that managed just two runs against the Rangers on August 24. If he carries that form into the Windy City, the total plays right where the market has it.