Texas Rangers at Athletics

For weeks, Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford searched in vain for something that would end a cold spell he called “probably the worst stretch of my career.” He tinkered with his mechanics. He took double rounds of batting practice. Nothing seemed to work. “Wyatt’s been fighting,” manager Skip Schumaker said. The scuffling Rangers have been, too. And with Langford’s slump ending in Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park, maybe Texas is on the verge of a team-wide breakthrough as well. At least, that’s what the Rangers -- squarely in the American League postseason mix -- have to hope for. “We’re kind of in must-win territory,” Langford said. “We’re going out there and want to win every single day.” On Saturday, the outfielder delivered the go-ahead home run, a two-run shot in the sixth inning, to help his club snap a four-game losing streak. It was Langford’s first homer since Aug. 1, and it was part of a three-hit night -- his first multihit game since July 25. The Rangers’ first-round pick in the 2023 Draft has delivered solid production in 2026 despite two stints on the injured list, with a right forearm strain in April and a left hamstring strain in late June. He was scorching hot when he came off the IL for the second time in early July, but he suddenly went ice cold, batting just .155 (11-for-71) in his past 20 games. Still, he batted cleanup on Saturday for just the second time all season, a decision driven not so much by data but more by a manager searching high and low for a spark. “I was just trying to mix things up, I’ll be honest with you,” Schumaker said. “It worked out tonight, obviously.”