MLB power rankings: Remember the Rangers? Texas has playoff bid in reach

They have never been more than three games above or six games below .500. Their greatest player – Corey Seager – has not yet played in 100 games. Yet by winning a series against the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend, the Rangers largely control their own playoff destiny, with two routes to get in – the AL West title or the last wild card.

And their productive and timely spurt pushed them up four spots to No. 14 in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings.

The Rangers more or less eliminated the Blue Jays this weekend and now face a tricky but not untenable final week: Three games against the improved New York Mets and three more vs. the Minnesota Twins . They'll take a one-game AL West lead over the Houston Astros into this final lap, and therein lies the danger: The Houston Astros finish with four games against the Athletics in Yolo County and own the tiebreaker over Texas.