Rangers 5, Angels 3
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers guaranteed themselves postseason life by beating the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 on Thursday at Globe Life Park.
Texas (87-72) can do no worse than a wild card after its third consecutive win. The Rangers are three games up on Houston (84-75) in the American League West with three games left in the regular season. The Astros begin a three-game series with Arizona on Friday.
Should the Rangers lose the last three games of their four-game series with the Angels coupled with a Houston sweep, a one-game playoff Monday would determine the AL West champion and the wild card.
Texas needs one win (or Astros loss) to clinch its sixth division title.
The Angels, last year's West champion, were eliminated from the division race, but are alive for a playoff berth. Los Angeles and Minnesota are 83-76, one game back of Houston for the second wild card spot. The New York Yankees (87-72) locked down the other wild card with their victory Thursday.
Third baseman Adrian Beltre drove in three runs for Texas, picking up where he left on in September. The veteran led the American League with 29 RBIs last month.
Rangers starter Derek Holland (4-3) rebounded from four subpar outings by working into the seventh and allowing three runs. The left-hander struck out six and gave up three hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Texas closer Shawn Tolleson picked up his 35th save of the season, including his fourth against the Angels, after a perfect ninth.
Designated hitter Albert Pujols had a part in the Angels' first two runs. He doubled and scored in the second before rocketing a solo home run to left in the sixth. Pujols has 39 homers for the season and 559 for his career.
Los Angeles starter Andrew Heaney (6-4) allowed four runs on five hits and five walked in 4 1/3 innings.
The Rangers bumped their lead to 5-3 in the seventh after Beltre and designated hitter Prince Fielder opened the innings with singles off reliever Cesar Ramos. Back-to-back fly balls to center from pinch hitter Mitch Moreland and left fielder Josh Hamilton were enough to get Beltre home.
Pujols led off the second with a double to the left-field wall and later scored on left fielder Shane Victorino's long sacrifice fly.
The inning could have gone much worse for Holland with runners at the corners and one out. Hamilton, however, chased down Victorino's drive and caught it with his back to the infield before sliding into the wall.
Heaney worked around control issues with two doubles plays through the first four innings to keep the Rangers scoreless.
Texas broke through in the fifth by taking advantage of Heaney's fourth and fifth walks to score four times. Beltre had the big blow, a three-run double to chase Heaney.
NOTES: The Angels allowed seven unearned runs on four errors Wednesday after entering the game surrendering the fewest unearned runs in the American League. ... The Angels have won 15 of their last 17 games in Arlington. ... The Texas bullpen finished September with a 2.05 ERA (19 ER/83.1 IP) and a .197 opponent's batting average, both the lowest figures in the majors for the month.