Texas goes into the final weekend short-handed and still alive.

The Rangers are 76-78, one game out of the last wild card, with two games left to play. Jung's hand is broken and Quantrill is on the 60-day IL. That's the lineup and the bullpen both absorbing a significant loss in the same week, heading into the games that matter most.

Ezequiel Duran slides into the third base role, which he's handled before. The rotation — deGrom, Eovaldi, Gore, Rocker — is intact and has been carrying this team for weeks. Jacob Latz has the ninth inning. The pieces are there. They're just not the pieces Texas would have drawn up.

Two games. One game back. That's where it sits.