A's, Rangers have commonalities as season dwindles

(Photo credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports)The Oakland Athletics lost 112 games last year. The Texas Rangers won the World Series.

With one month left in this season, the teams are much closer in the standings -- five games apart in the middle of the American League West -- than many likely expected at this point.

For one team, that'sa sign of promise. For the other, not so much, and a reminder of what was.

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