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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers both looked like they might be the best teams in baseball for significant stretches of a long season in which they now find themselves facing each other in an AL Wild Card Series. The Rays got off to a historic 13-0 start and led the American League East by as many as 6½ games before a horrendous July cost them their stranglehold on first place and left them playing catch-up the rest of the season to eventual division champion Baltimore. Texas, meanwhile, is back in the playoffs two years after losing 102 games. A dominant offense carried the Rangers much of the season, enabling them to weather injuries and remain in prime position to win the AL West until their potent bats faltered in the closing days of the regular season.
