The Texas Rangers are playing some of their best baseball entering the final month of the regular season.
Still needing a push to enter the American League postseason picture, the visiting Rangers (71-67) begin a three-game interleague series on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks (68-70) in Phoenix.
Texas is bidding to record its third six-game winning streak of the season on Monday. The club won six in a row from May 10-15 and again from July 21-27.
The Rangers, winners of eight of their past nine games, swept the Athletics over the weekend and pulled within 2 1/2 games of the Seattle Mariners for the AL’s final wild-card spot.
An inconsistent facet of the team during the first half of the season, Texas’ offense has found its rhythm of late. The Rangers are averaging 10 runs per contest during their current five-game winning streak.
Joc Pederson, who has struggled in his first season in Texas, homered and doubled in Sunday’s 9-6 victory over the Athletics to extend his hitting-streak to nine games.
Josh Smith also reached five times in the win.
“It’s hard to sweep a team. Great job by the guys coming in here playing a very hot team,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “It was good to see Smitty have a good day, getting on base like he did. He’s a guy that can make a team go, with his discipline at the plate and his ability to swing the bat. That had to do a lot for his confidence.”
Texas left-hander Patrick Corbin (7-9, 4.33 ERA) will make his 26th start of the season in the opener against Arizona.
Corbin, 36, made his best start of the year on Tuesday, scattering three hits over eight scoreless innings in a 7-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Corbin, who pitched for Arizona from 2012-18, is 0-4 with an 11.28 ERA in six career starts against his former team.
The Diamondbacks are 5 1/2 games behind the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot in the National League, but have found late life. Arizona has won four of its past five games, including two of three on the road versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Corbin Carroll connected on a game-tying three-run homer in the eighth inning on Sunday, but the Dodgers’ Will Smith hit a walk-off homer to snap Arizona’s four-game winning streak.
“We’re never out of any game at any time,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “They’re exactly who I think they are. They’re winners, they want to win, they know how to win. You just don’t know when the rally is going to start, but when it does, we have the capabilities of putting up quick points. It’s just unfortunate how it ended up (on Sunday).
In the opener of a six-game homestand, right-hander Ryne Nelson (7-3, 3.53) is slated to make his 29th appearance and 19th start of the year on Monday.
Nelson allowed just one run on six hits across six innings in a 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.
In two career starts against Texas, Nelson is 0-1 with a 7.15 ERA.