Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers

The Rangers know they need to win more than they lose over the next five weeks if they want to be seeing October baseball. Despite the record -- which now sits at one game below .500 -- and some of the frustrations of the last week, the Rangers are right in the thick of the postseason picture in the American League. The Rangers beat the Angels, 5-3, on Sunday afternoon at Globe Life Field, taking the series and securing a much-needed winning homestand as the fight for the AL West continues. “Could we have played better? Of course,” Schumaker said of the homestand. “I think anybody would say that in that clubhouse. However, the goal is to win each series, and we did that. Obviously today was a big game. I'm proud of the guys to come through and win both series.” Here are some takeaways from the Rangers’ 4-2 homestand against the Nationals and Angels: **Rotation carried** Cal Quantrill opened Sunday’s win with six scoreless innings against the Angels, who scattered six hits throughout the afternoon. Quantrill’s ERA is now down to 2.90 after five straight starts of five or more innings with one or zero earned runs. While the Rangers' offense has faltered for much of the homestand, the starting pitching has kept them in every game. Texas starters have permitted three or fewer runs in a season-high 13 straight games dating back to Aug. 10. This homestand, the starters went 3-2 with a 1.02 ERA, holding opponents to a .198/.222/.298/.520 slash line with just three walks compared to 34 strikeouts. Per TruMedia, the 1.02 ERA is the lowest mark for a Rangers rotation in a single homestand of six or more games in club history. “It’s an interesting staff where there's a lot of guys who have accomplished their career,” Quantrill said. “I don't think it's necessarily a competition. It's almost more like ‘Wow, that's what he did, I'd like to try and do that as well.’ I think we've got a wealth of knowledge in our two true veteran starters \[Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi\