ARLINGTON -- The American League playoff standings don¡¯t take into account poor luck, and frankly, it¡¯s a topic of conversation which most contending clubs avoid at this point in the season anyway.

But after Cal Raleigh and Dylan Moore crushed a pair of flyouts at a Statcast-projected 824 feet combined on a night where the Rangers¡¯ lone runs came via dribblers at 65.8 mph and 63.2 mph, it was impossible not to acknowledge the stinging nature of the oh-so-close sequences.

And alas, the Mariners were outlasted in a 2-0 defeat Saturday night at Globe Life Field for their eighth shutout of the season and first in exactly six weeks. They will now look to avoid a sweep against a Texas club that has dominated them all season, having gone 1-7 against their division rivals while being outscored, 46-23.

• Games remaining (8): at TEX (1), vs. HOU (3), vs. TEX (4)
• Standings update: The Mariners (84-70) fell two games behind the Rangers (86-68) for first place in the AL West. They remained a half-game back of second-place Houston (85-70) after the Astros lost. Toronto fell, too, which kept Seattle within 1 1/2 games of the second AL Wild Card spot. The Astros hold the third and final spot, making the Mariners the first team on the outside looking in.
• Tiebreakers: Win vs. Houston (8-2); lose vs. Texas (1-7); likely win vs. Toronto (3-3, tiebreaker based on intradivision record).

Securing a tiebreaker against the Rangers is now off the table, though at this rate, that¡¯s among the least of Seattle¡¯s concerns as the schedule constricts and the club remains the first team on the outside looking in for the final AL Wild Card spot.

¡°Obviously we don't have the wins,¡± Ty France said, ¡°But last night we had a good comeback. Today, we hit the ball well. ... They had two -- I don't want to call them lucky hits, but well-placed hits -- and they won the game.¡±

Moore¡¯s blast left his bat at 105.9 mph and caromed off the top of the yellow padding on the center-field wall with two outs in the fourth. It was inches away from serving as his eighth homer and what would have been a solo shot -- with two outs, to boot. But he was instead stranded at second base after Sam Haggerty walked and Jos¨¦ Caballero struck out swinging.

Raleigh¡¯s blast would have done more damage, given that Teoscar Hern¨¢ndez was on first base after a two-out single. But Rangers speedster Leody Taveras tracked down the 101.1 mph fly ball in the deepest part of the park at the right-center-field warning track.

Per Statcast, Moore¡¯s would have been a homer in 21 ballparks, and Raleigh¡¯s in 16. Both would have left the yard at T-Mobile Park.

¡°You need a few breaks,¡± manager Scott Servais said. ¡°And everybody says, 'Nah, it's not luck-driven.' Anybody who watches this game for 162 games understands that you need a few, and we didn't get any tonight.¡±

Meanwhile, the Rangers did their damage via BABIP and bloopers.

In the second inning, Mitch Garver sliced a middle-in splitter from Logan Gilbert down the first-base line and past the outstretched glove of Ty France. In the fourth, Jonah Heim punched an opposite-field knock into no man¡¯s land in shallow left. Both scored All-Star Adolis Garc¨ªa, and both came with two outs.

¡°You'd love swing-and-miss at a time like that, but soft contact sometimes is just as good or all you can ask for,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°But I felt like tonight, just a few things like that, a few things offensively, it's one of those games that didn't go our way even though any other day it could have.¡±

Gilbert came one out shy of finishing the sixth before two walks ended his night. But he was outdueled by Texas¡¯ Trade Deadline acquisition Jordan Montgomery, who, like Dane Dunning the night prior, kept the Mariners on the ground for nine of his 21 outs -- Raleigh and Moore notwithstanding.

For the second straight night, the Mariners¡¯ final at-bat came with the go-ahead run in the batter¡¯s box, but pinch-hitting Luis Torrens scorched a 104 mph lineout off Aroldis Chapman, who entered the plate appearance prior and walked Jarred Kelenic, who also entered as a pinch-hitter.

Kelenic, who had a career-high four walks on Friday, was out of the starting lineup along with fellow lefties Josh Rojas, Mike Ford and Dominic Canzone, as Servais installed righties Moore, Haggerty and Caballero in the Nos. 7-9 spots to face the southpaw Montgomery. Opposing righties entered play with a .703 OPS with 16 homers against the southpaw, while lefties had a .644 OPS and one homer. Moore¡¯s double was the only hit among that group, which finished a combined 1-for-9.

The Mariners will now look to avoid their second straight weekend sweep after a three-gamer that ended last Sunday against the Dodgers. The good news is that both Toronto and Houston lost, so Seattle maintained its pace in the AL Wild Card race. The bad is that the Mariners¡¯ chances at their first division title since 2001 are teetering at the hands of Texas.