ARLINGTON, Texas — Somehow, some way, we’ve officially entered the “magic number” phase of the Texas Rangers season

A crucial three-game sweep of one division rival, and another rival getting swept at the same time, will help you get there.

So despite the Rangers’ wild rollercoaster of a season, they find themselves in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot in the final week of the Major League Baseball season.

Here’s a look at where things stand, including that important “magic number”:

AL West Standings

As of Monday, Texas (87-68) held a 2.5-game lead over the Houston Astros (85-71) in the American League West. They led the Seattle Mariners (84-71), who they swept over the weekend, by three games.

The Rangers and Mariners have seven games remaining, including a four-game series against each other to end the season. The Astros have six games remaining, including a three-game series at Seattle, starting Monday night.

AL Wild Card Standings

The Rangers are leading the AL West, so they’re not *technically* in the Wild Card hunt. But they’ll definitely be keeping the Wild Card contenders in the back of their mind; two of them, the Astros and Mariners, are chasing them in the division, and the top Wild Card team, the Toronto Blue Jays, are only a half-game behind Texas at 87-69.

Here’s where the Wild Card race stood entering Monday. As a reminder, three Wild Card teams make the playoffs, where they’ll play in a best-of-three series in the first round.

• Tampa Bay Rays: 95-62
• Toronto Blue Jays: 87-69
• Houston Astros: 85-71
• Seattle Mariners: 84-71

Seattle is currently the odd team out.

What is the Texas Rangers’ magic number?

Texas has two “magic numbers” in play: 5 to win the American League West and 3 to clinch at least a Wild Card spot.

What does that mean? The magic number is the needed combination of your team’s wins and their opponents’ losses to clinch either a playoff spot or, in Texas’ case, a division title.

As it stood Monday, Texas, with seven games left, needed their remaining wins and the Astros’ remaining losses to equal five. So if Texas goes 5-2 over its final seven games, it doesn’t matter what Houston does — Texas would win the AL West.

As another example, if Texas goes 2-5 over its final seven, and the Astros go 3-3 over their final six, the Rangers would also win the AL West.

A Wild Card spot will be an easier bar to clear. Texas can go 3-4 over its final seven to guarantee a playoff spot. Or they could simply have other playoff contenders go no better than 4-3.

As of Monday morning, ESPN put Texas’ playoff odds at 97%.