ARLINGTON, Texas — The music was a little louder in the Texas clubhouse, and there was the faint smell of champagne.
Otherwise, the Rangers were still waiting on a bigger celebration — for winning the AL West.
Texas clinched a wildcard spot and moved to the cusp of the division title, with Adrian Beltre’s threerun double backing Derek Holland in a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.
“We had a toast, yes,” first-year Manager Jeff Banister said. “We still have a mission to accomplish. And something that as a group of players we all talked about in spring training, when nobody else was talking about it but us.”
The Rangers (87-72), in the playoffs for the first time since 2012 after an AL-worst 95 losses last season, are a victory or a Houston loss away from their first division title since winning two consecutive and going to the World Series in 2010 and 2011.
Texas, which fell to Tampa Bay in a playoff for a wildcard spot in 2013, lost ace Yu Darvish to season-ending elbow surgery in spring training and went 7-14 in April.
RANGERS 5, ANGLES 3
The Rangers were still eight games out on Aug. 2 but are now on the verge of becoming the fifth team in 40 years — and the first since the Twins in 2006 — to win a division after trailing by that many games in August.
“We knew it was going to be a chance,” said shortstop Elvis Andrus, who had a couple of tough plays among five consecutive balls late to help preserve the lead. “We talked to everybody, we’ve got 60-something games ahead. Baseball is so crazy. You don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The Angels can’t defend their AL West championship, but still have a shot at the second wild card with three games left. Los Angeles (83-76) is a game behind the Astros and tied with Minnesota, which beat Cleveland 4-2.
Beltre, who had the second-most RBI in the majors in September with 29, broke a 1-1 tie with a bases-clearing double off Andrew Heaney (6-4) in the fifth. Beltre scored an insurance run after a leadoff single in the seventh.
ROYALS 6, WHITE SOX 4 Jonny Gomes drove in three runs, and visiting Kansas City moved into a tie with Toronto for the AL’s best record with a victory over Chicago.
ORIOLES 6, BLUE JAYS 4 Toronto rested its starters in a rain-marred loss to host Baltimore. Manny Machado hit two home runs for the Orioles, who took a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Drew Hutchison (13-5) before the game was delayed for 3 hours, 25 minutes.
TWINS 4, INDIANS 2 Pinch-runner Eduard Nunez scored from third base on a wild pitch and Torii Hunter (Pine Bluff) hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to give visiting Minnesota a victory over Cleveland.
INTERLEAGUE
RAYS 4, MARLINS 1 Jake Odorizzi allowed one run over seven innings as host Tampa Bay beat Jose Fernandez and Miami to complete a three-game sweep.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
CUBS 5, REDS 3 Austin Jackson hit a threerun home run, Anthony Rizzo added an RBI double and Chicago kept alive its slim hopes for home-field advantage in the wild-card game with a victory over host Cincinnati.
PHILLIES 3, METS 0 Jerad Eickhoff struck out 10 in seven innings, Darin Ruf hit a two-run home run and host Philadelphia beat New York to complete a three-game sweep.
DODGERS 3, GIANTS 2 Brett Anderson pitched two-hit ball into the eighth in his final regular-season start, and visiting Los Angeles earned a victory over San Francisco.
PADRES 3, BREWERS 1 Ian Kennedy struck out 11 and Yangervis Solarte hit a two-run home run for San Diego as they beat Milwaukee in their home finale.
NATIONALS 3, BRAVES 0 Clint Robinson hit a home run and Stephen Strasburg continued his strong September to help visiting Washington beat Atlanta.
Thursday’s games
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore 6, Toronto 4 NY Yankees 4, Boston 1 Minnesota 4, Cleveland 2 Texas 5, LA Angels 3 Kansas City 6, Chicago White Sox 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 3, NY Mets 0 Chicago Cubs 5, Cincinnati 3 LA Dodgers 3, San Francisco 2 San Diego 3, Milwaukee 1 Washington 3, Atlanta 0 Arizona 8, Colorado 6
INTERLEAGUE
Tampa Bay 4, Miami 1