2. Finish ahead of Detroit: The two teams with the best records get home-field advantage in the first round of the AL playoffs. So the Rangers would have to finish ahead of either the Yankees or the Tigers for them to open the playoffs at the Ballpark in Arlington.
Texas is one game behind Detroit and four behind New York. If the Rangers finish with the same record as either the Yankees or the Tigers, they lose the tiebreaker. Both teams won their season series against Texas.
Right now, the most likely scenario is the Yankees having the best record in the league, with the Wild Card coming out of the AL East. So between the Rangers and the Tigers, the team with the better record would host the Wild Card winner in the first round of the playoffs.
Also, under that scenario, the Rangers would have home-field advantage in the AL Championship Series if they beat the Wild Card team and the Tigers beat the Yankees in the first round. So Texas needs to finish with a better record than at least Detroit.