Rangers stay in the mix with a 15.1% playoff shot after a 0.500 week, keeping hope alive despite injuries and a brutal closing slate. Jack Leiter has emerged as a standout rookie with a sub-4.00 ERA and rising WPA, while Wyatt Langford sits on a 5+ WAR pace for a 23-year-old, hinting at a fast climb. The week featured Cody Freeman and Alejandro Osuna delivering high-leverage WPA moments in the 7-5 Diamondbacks win, underscoring the depth in Texas. Kolby Allard’s 2021 home-series relief win against Houston is cited as a trivia marker in a season defined by resilience.

The article tracks the Rangers’ path through a demanding schedule—nine games against Brewers, Mets and Astros—where even a win could be marginal. The Mariners’ head-to-head tiebreaker looms large, and the roster's improvisational depth becomes a fantasy angle: savings on bibs in the bullpen, upside from Langford and Leiter, and late-season bolsters like Phil Maton on Houston’s side shaping the playoff sprint.