Rangers beat Twins 6–2, but AL West race still runs through Game 162

The Texas Rangers answered Friday’s lopsided loss with a 6–2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, keeping their division pursuit alive into the last game of the regular season. MLB’s final box score shows Danny Jansen driving in two runs with a home run, while Jake Burger also homered. Texas finished the night 80–81.

The win did not create separation. Houston beat the Athletics 13–2 later Saturday, leaving the Astros at the same 80–81 mark. MLB’s September 26 standings place the two clubs together atop the American League West. Houston holds the season-series tiebreaker, according to MLB’s playoff tracker, so the Rangers cannot clinch by merely matching the Astros on Sunday. They need a better final-day result.

Jansen’s two RBI led Texas in Minnesota. Evan Carter and Alejandro Osuna each had two hits and an RBI, and Brandon Nimmo also drove in a run, according to the official box. Nathan Eovaldi started for Texas and allowed one earned run in 4⅓ innings, striking out three. The Rangers’ pitching staff held Minnesota to two runs after Friday’s 10–2 defeat, a necessary reversal with no margin left in the race.

The result also gives Texas a chance to finish at .500. A Sunday win would put the Rangers at 81–81, while a loss would leave them below break-even. The larger question, of course, is the division. Houston’s tiebreaker means the scoreboard in Sacramento matters as much as Texas’ own finale at Target Field. A Rangers victory paired with an Astros loss sends Texas ahead; if both clubs win or both lose, Houston stays in front. The conditional paths follow directly from the clubs’ tied records and MLB’s published tiebreaker.

The postseason stakes are unusual: MLB lists the AL West as one of the remaining undecided berths, and neither contender can finish with a winning record after Saturday. Texas can still make the final day matter by winning its own game. Saturday’s 6–2 response kept that possibility open, but Houston’s late rout denied the Rangers control of their own finish.