"Jorge Cantu did something late Saturday he hasn't done much of since coming to the Rangers. He smiled.

He did something else unusual, too: He doubled.

And on a night when the Rangers shaved their magic number by 25 percent to six, Cantu's double that scored absolutely nobody stood out as perhaps the most important moment of a 6-1 win over Seattle.

"I needed that really bad," Cantu said. "I'm used to getting extra base hits. It was like I got to second and looked around and said, 'What just happened?' It was weird. It needs to happen. I need to get it together for crunch time and the playoffs."

Oh, yes, Cliff Lee dominated the Mariners, but what's surprising about that? He pitched well for that wretched group this season; no reason to think he wouldn't do so against a bunch of their minor leaguers. Oh yeah, Bengie Molina had three hits and two RBIs, the most of each since he hit for the cycle in Boston back in July.

They were nice moments, but they don't have much impact on the postseason. And let's face facts, with the magic number slimming faster than Valerie Bertinelli on Jenny Craig, the final 20 games of the season have become almost like spring training exhibitions in a way. This schedule is for finding out what some guys can do in key moments when the games mean even more.

The Rangers expect Lee to pitch well against much better competition. They are more concerned with Molina's defense than anything he does on offense.

What the Rangers need to know is whether they have a first baseman in the house who can potentially provide some offense against an elite left-handed starter in the playoffs. It's possible that they could face lefties as many as four times in a five-game series against New York and twice against Tampa Bay. And even more immediately: They may need to beat some lefties next weekend at Oakland to salt away the division once and for all.

Cantu is supposed to be that guy. Well, the latest try at that guy. Ryan Garko, Chris Davis and Justin Smoak all failed in that attempt. For most of his five weeks as a Ranger, Cantu has failed in that role, too. After starting out 2-for-4 against lefties with the Rangers, Cantu fell into a 4-for-30 stretch. The situation is so desperate, the Rangers took right-handed hitting Jeff Francoeur out to first base and started working with him Friday just to, you know, check. Initial reviews were not promising. "