Scott Littlefield, a 33-year veteran scout who had spent the last 15 years as part of the Rangers’ inner circle of talent evaluators, was found dead Friday in a Houston hotel where he had been on assignment for the team.

The Texas Rangers fought hard to beat the Miami Marlins on Friday, but the loss may have finally put their playoff hopes, realistically, at an end. The Texas Rangers were stubborn on Friday night. They just ran out of stubbornness.

Scott Littlefield, who spent the last 16 years as an integral member of the Texas Rangers baseball operations department, passed away on Friday morning in Houston, Texas, where he was on assignment for the team.

Despite a litany of injuries, Texas is in the hunt for a playoff spot as the MLB regular season nears its conclusion.

The Rangers found a spark of life last week despite losing multiple players to the injured list including Nathan Eovaldi, Marcus Semien, and Corey Seager. It seemed like the final nail into their coffin,

In the opener of their season’s most critical series, the Houston Astros ’ offense went quietly. Four Seattle Mariners pitchers held their lineup to three hits. Four Mariners hitters struck solo home runs.

The Rangers need to play near-perfect baseball to have a chance to make the playoffs and even that may not be enough.

The American League West is hanging in the balance. The Houston Astros received good news with Isaac Paredes' return, but they also received bad news.