Welcome to the 2012 postseason: Texas Rangers

The two-time defending AL champs are, to no one's surprise, officially part of the playoff fray. So what's ahead for Ron Washington's Rangers?

By Dayn Perry

Sep 30, 2012 at 10:18 pm ET • 2 min read

For the third straight season, the Rangers are in the playoffs. (US Presswire)

Welcome to the 2012 postseason, Texas Rangers. With a win over the Angels Sunday evening, the Rangers clinched a playoff berth, though the AL West title is still not clinched. You know the drill …

Have you been with us before? Indeed they have. The Rangers, of course, are the two-time defending AL champs, and they've won at least 90 games in each of the last three seasons. If they make the World Series yet again, then they'll become the first team to win three straight pennants since the Yankees of the early 2000s. They'd also become the first non-Yankee team to do so since the A's of the early 1970s. Insofar as franchise history is concerned, this will be the sixth time in their 52 seasons that the Rangers have made the playoffs.

How did you enjoy your last visit? Quite a lot until, oh, Game 6 of the World Series. At that point, an impossible series of miracles conspired to deprive the Rangers of the belt and the title. Twice, they were one strike away from ending the season with a celebration on the mound. But it didn't happen. If it's any consolation, the 2011 Rangers were part of one of the greatest games ever played. Pretty sure that's no consolation whatsoever.

Frequent flyers? There wasn't a great deal of turnover from last season to this season. Stalwarts from 2011 (and 2010, in some cases) like Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, Adrian Beltre, Elvis Andrus and Mike Napoli are back, as is most of the rotation. Closer Joe Nathan is new to Arlington, and he's struggled badly in the playoffs as a member of the Twins and Giants. On the other, more important hand, Nathan is an outstanding shutdown closer, and his postseason failures are across a minuscule sample of just 8.0 innings. Don't sweat him.

They've also, in essence, swapped out C.J. Wilson for Yu Darvish. Wilson hasn't enjoyed much success in the playoffs (career 4.82 ERA in 52 1/3 innings), and Darvish has been outstanding down the stretch. As for deadline addition Ryan Dempster, he has just 5 2/3 postseason innings to his credit despite pitching in the majors for 15 years or so. There will, of course, be no Neftali Feliz (Tommy John surgery in early August) this time around. They may indeed miss his 1.93 postseason ERA.

What's on your itinerary? The Rangers are heavy favorites to lock up the AL West title very soon. Their lead over Oakland is substantial given the late hour, and the Rangers, it goes without saying, have zero interest in a wild-card play-in game. While the odds are heavily in their favor for a third-straight division title, we've learned by now not to count the A's out until undeniable math tells us to.

How long will you be staying with us? Anything less than a hoisting of the trophy will be considered a failure for this team. A kick-ass bullpen and strong team defense certainly bode well. Much could depend on whether Darvish continues pitching like a true ace (which is precisely what he's done since making some mechanical adjustments in mid-August). As always, Hamilton's health bears monitoring. And will manager Ron Washington continue over-relying on the wholly unproductive Michael Young? You should consider the Rangers the narrow favorites going in, but October baseball has a way of toppling assumptions. Just ask the 2011 Rangers.