ANAHEIM, Calif. ― Nothing is free.
Not even big comeback wins.
On Saturday, in Game 161, the Rangers staged their biggest comeback of the season rallying from six runs down heading to the eighth inning to win 9-8. The Rangers scored four runs in the ninth. The last three came on Johnathan Ornelas’ bases-loaded, pinch-hit single on which the Angels added a run-scoring throwing error.
It was a nice win. It also assured the Rangers of having the eighth best chance of winning the Draft Lottery during the Winter Meetings in Dallas. It gives them a 2.45% chance of ending up with the No. 1 pick. The win gave them 77 wins with one game remaining. It assured that they can’t do any better (or worse) than 77-85. Both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, which has lost five straight, are 76-85. If both the Pirates and Reds win on Sunday and the Rangers lose, all three teams would end up at 77-85. The tiebreaker for lottery priority is winning percentage in the previous season. The Rangers, who went 90-72 last year, had a better winning percentage than both teams.
The difference in lottery chances is not insignificant. The No. 6-ranked team will have a 5.31% chance at getting the top pick, better than double the chances of the No. 8 team. The No. 7 will have a 3.67% chance. If Pittsburgh and Cincinnati end up tied, the Pirates would finish at No. 6 in the lottery priority.
The Rangers have won five of their last 10 games.
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