Jeff Francoeur scores on passed ball in 12th, Rangers beat Angels 2-1 to cut magic number to 4

Rangers outlast Angels 2-1, drop magic number to 4

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jeff Francoeur doubled to lead off the 12th inning and eventually scored on Jeff Mathis’ passed ball, and the Texas Rangers trimmed their magic number for clinching the AL West to four with a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.

Mathis’ mistake on an easily catchable pitch by Matt Palmer (1-2) ended an eight-inning scoreless drought for the Rangers, who extended their division lead over Oakland to eight games heading into a four-game series at the Coliseum.

Texas can clinch its first AL West title since 1999 with two wins over the Athletics.

Neftali Feliz earned his 37th save for Texas, tying the rookie record set by Seattle’s Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2000.