Rangers better lucky than good in key victory over Red Sox as Jacob Latz notches 30th save

The Texas Rangers welcomed the Boston Red Sox to Arlington in a key matchup that could determine their playoff fate. The Rangers entered the series on the outside looking in on the playoff picture, but are catching a break as the Red Sox's starting rotation alignment has Texas facing off against Boston's soft underbelly.

There is no more grace period for the Rangers to get in gear. With the clock ticking, every game matters from here on out, and Texas delivered a 4-2 victory that helped the club keep pace with the division-leading Astros while leapfrogging the Blue Jays in the chase to catch the Guardians for the final AL wild card spot.

There were several key developments in the game. Jacob deGrom was mostly brilliant, throwing five innings and racking up eight Ks, with the only real blemish being the two-run laser beam homer he gave up to Nick Sogard in the top of the third. You'd like to see more length out of the ace, but with nagging injuries impacting him for much of the second half, it was probably wise not to push him further.

deGrom was staked to a four-run lead as all of the Rangers' scoring came in the second inning. Elias Diaz smacked a double to left-center, plating two. The sparkplug catcher seemed to run out of gas a while ago, but he's been heating back up in September, batting .310 this month.

The decisive "blow" was a Corey Seager blooper later in the inning. It appeared that it would land in Trevor Story's outstretched glove, but instead it found the grass, leading to Diaz and Danny Jansen scoring.

Chase Silseth took the ball from deGrom in the top of the sixth and delivered a fiery performance, striking out the side with an infield single sneaking into the mix.

The real story, though, was Jacob Latz. The lone Rangers' All-Star entered the game with one out in the top of the eighth as Robert Garcia got in trouble after allowing an infield single and a walk. Latz got Wilyer Abreu to ground out for the second out, but then intentionally walked Trevor Story to load the bases.

Boston sent lefty masher Andruw Monasterio up to pinch-hit for the lefty-swinging Jarren Duran. Monasterio hit a towering fly ball just outside the foul pole, just missing a back-breaking grand slam. With ice water running through his veins, Latz shook off the scare and got the better of the matchup, striking out Monasterio. He'd come back out for the ninth for a much less eventful inning, shutting the door on the Red Sox and earning his 30th save of the season.

If the Rangers make the playoffs, Jacob Latz will likely be the reason why

It's been nearly a month since Latz picked up a save of four or more outs, which speaks more to the Rangers' performance over that time than anything Latz has done. In fact, for much of the second half, Texas relievers have struggled mightily in innings five through seven, effectively neutralizing Latz.

However, the save against Boston represented his 13th save of four-plus outs this season, a stunning total that represents nearly half of his save total. Many of those have been of the two-inning variety as well.

Having Latz back there is a huge advantage for the Rangers as we round into the September stretch. He's not only a dominant closer, but he can act as his own setup man, too.

In more ways than one, he'll likely be the decisive factor for the Rangers' playoff hopes. If he continues this brilliance, they'll punch their ticket to the October dance. However, if Texas fails to get the ball to him in the eighth or the ninth, things probably won't end well.

It won't be Latz's fault, of course, but that middle relief unit will be key, as will consistent offensive production and the starting rotation showing up. Latz gives the Rangers such a unique advantage, and it will be a shame if they don't utilize him to his full potential with the season on the line.

"Just riding the wave. Going out there, trying to get 3, 6 outs whatever is being asked," Latz told Laura Stickells after the game.

Ride the wave is right, but get the ball to Latz in the process. He'll do whatever is asked, and if he's in there, luck will be on the Rangers' side.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow