ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas Rangers fired fourth-year manager Chris Woodward on Monday, a move made in hopes of building momentum toward next year, when the team has long expected to win again after a seasons-long rebuilding effort.

The Rangers are on pace for their sixth consecutive losing season since their last AL West title in 2016. While better than last year’s 102-loss team, they haven’t made the desired progress this year, or even had a winning record at any point since spending a half-billion dollars last winter to sign shortstop Corey Seager and second baseman Marcus Semien.

“We did not come into this season thinking we had put together a championship roster. We thought we’d taken a major step forward in talent from where we were a year ago,” said Jon Daniels, the team’s president of baseball operations. “We’ve certainly had aspirations maybe to overachieve some and still do have those, but we were, and continue to be, realistic about about where we are. … That said, we did think that we’d be better than our record, and better than the way that we’ve played at times.”

Texas was 51-63 after finishing a series win at home over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, and won back-to-back games for only the third time since the start of July. After peaking at 24-24 at the end of May, Texas lost its next three games and 5 of 6. The Rangers are 6-24 in one-run games.

Woodward, the fourth big league manager to be fired this season, was two games shy of managing his 500th game for the Rangers. He finished with a 211-287 record, which came during the extended rebuilding process that also included the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and the MLB lockout last winter after the Rangers had signed Seager and Semien.

Philadelphia’s Joe Girardi was replaced by Rob Thomson on June 3, the Los Angeles Angels’ Joe Maddon by Phil Nevin four days later and Toronto’s Charlie Montoyo by John Schneider on July 13.

Third-base coach Tony Beasley was named the interim manager of the Rangers, starting with Monday night’s game against the Oakland A’s.

Daniels, who was the general manager when Woodward was hired, and current GM Chris Young both spoke about making the managerial change now to start addressing items such as how the team prepares and its style of play.

“I think it’s just the overall structure, the environment. It’s not necessarily the content of the preparation, but the way it’s utilized,” Young said. “The way we utilize meetings, the way we utilize different resources throughout the day, creating a structure that’s really tailored towards winning a game every single day when we come in, and we felt like at times that got a little loose.”

Woodward, who was the third-base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers before landing his first managerial job, was under contract through next season. The team held an option for 2024.

Seager spent his first seven big league seasons with the Dodgers, and was the National League rookie of the year in 2016, the first of Woodward’s three seasons as the third base and infield coach in Los Angeles. Seager was reunited with Woodward after signing a $325 million, 10-year contract last December.

“Obviously, he was a really important person in my career and in my life. He was around me at a really pivotal point in my career. And I don’t have anything bad to say. I have the utmost respect for him,” Seager said on the field before Monday’s game. “It’s one of those things I just wish we could have played a little better and maybe outcomes would be different. ”

Along with Seager and Semien ($175 million, seven years), the Rangers also last winter signed right-hander Jon Gray (four-year, $56 million) to be at the top of their rotation. Gray was in his best stretch of the season before a left oblique injury earlier this month that could potentially sideline him the rest of the year.

Beasley is in his eighth season with the Rangers, and is the longest-tenured member of their big-league coaching staff. He previously was on the major league staffs with Washington (2006) and Pittsburgh (2008-10), and had a 590-472 record in eight seasons as a minor league manager in those organizations.

“He has all the attributes that we’re looking for. He has the respect of the staff, the respect of the players,” Daniels said. “He’s an intelligent baseball veteran, who’s won at the minor league level, performed in a variety of roles, both here and elsewhere. … He’s the right person for us as we move forward.”

DODGERS: Right-hander Walker Buehler will have season-ending surgery for the elbow injury that has prevented him from pitching for the last two months.

The Dodgers announced that Buehler’s surgery is scheduled for Aug. 23.

Buehler, a two-time All-Star, is 6-3 with a 4.02 ERA in 12 appearances this season. He last pitched June 10 and left that game after four innings when his elbow began bothering him.

WORLD SERIES: The World Series is scheduled to start on a Friday for the first time since 1915 and could end on Nov. 5 – its latest ever – because of the lockout that delayed Opening Day.

Major League Baseball said its expanded postseason will begin with all four games in the new wild-card series on Oct. 7. The other games are Oct. 8 and 9, if necessary.

The new format has 12 teams making the playoffs, up from the 10 in place from 2012-21, except the 16 used in the 2020 playoffs that followed a regular-season shortened to 60 games because of the coronavirus pandemic. The top two teams in each league get first-round byes, while the No. 3 seed faces No. 6 and No. 4 plays No. 5. The higher seed will be home in each best-of-three series.

In the best-of-five Division Series, the top seed plays the 3-vs.-6 winner and the No. 2 seed plays the 4-vs.-5 winner. The Division Series will have the familiar format of the higher seed home for Games 1 and 2, and, if necessary, Game 5. Both the AL Division Series and NL Division Series start Oct. 11.

The best-of-seven Championship Series starts Oct. 18 in the NL and Oct. 19 in the AL.

Opening Day was delayed from March 31 to April 7 because of the 99-day lockout that ended on March 10, and the regular season was extended by three days to Oct. 5.

The World Series begins Oct. 28, matching its latest start, in 2009.

BLUE JAYS: Outfielder George Springer was activated off the injured list and will bat first as the designated hitter against the Baltimore Orioles.

Springer went on the injured list on Aug. 5 because of a sore right elbow, the same injury that caused him to skip last month’s All-Star Game. Toronto has lost 6 of 8 without Springer.

Springer, who signed a six-year, $150 million deal with Toronto before the 2021 season, is expected to see more time at DH than in the outfield as he continues to deal with elbow soreness. He is batting .251 with 18 home runs and 49 RBI in 89 games.

To make room for Springer, the Blue Jays designated outfielder Bradley Zimmer for assignment.

NATIONALS: The Washington Nationals recalled shortstop prospect C.J. Abrams from Triple-A Rochester and placed shortstop Luis Garcia on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain.

PHILLIES: The Philadelphia Phillies placed right-handed reliever Corey Knebel on the 15-day IL with a right lat strain.

ROYALS: Reliever Amir Garrett received a three-game suspension and an undisclosed fine from Major League Baseball for tossing a drink at a fan behind the Royals’ dugout during a game at Chicago two weeks ago.

Garrett appealed the punishment, allowing him to continue to pitch until that process is completed.

The incident with the spectator at Guaranteed Rate Field occurred on Aug. 2 when the Royals played the White Sox. Garrett posted an apology on Twitter the following day, writing that his actions were “uncalled for.” Garrett also tweeted that players “are held to a higher standard and the chirping from fans” is part of the game.

METS: The New York Mets placed infielder Luis Guillorme on the 10-day injured list when an MRI revealed a moderate left groin strain.

Guillorme was hurt while scoring from second base in the fourth inning of Sunday’s win over Philadelphia. Eduardo Escobar started at third base Monday against the Atlanta Braves despite having tightness in his left oblique.

MONDAY’S GAMES

GUARDIANS-TIGERS SPLIT: Jonathan Schoop and rookie Kerry Carpenter hit back-to-back homers in the sixth inning, and visiting Detroit rallied for a 7-5 win over Cleveland in the second game of a doubleheader, snapping an eight-game losing streak.

All-Star Andrés Giménez belted a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning of the opener, a 4-1 win. Giménez added a two-run homer in the nightcap, finishing with four hits and five RBI on the day.

The Guardians are 8-2 since Aug. 6. Detroit has lost 11 of its last 13 and is 3-14 since July 30. The Tigers, who fired General Manager Al Avila last week, are 30 games below .500.

PHILLIES 4, REDS 3: Noah Syndergaard won for the second time in three starts since being traded to Philadelphia and Edmundo Sosa drove in three runs as the Phillies won at Cincinnati.

Syndergaard (7-8), who had a career 2.11 ERA against Cincinnati, his lowest against any team, allowed three earned runs through seven innings. The 29-year-old right-hander was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline.

MARLINS 3, PADRES 0: Sandy Alcantara threw seven innings of four-hit ball and Miami beat visiting San Diego.

Although the Padres made Alcantara throw 76 pitches through the first four, the All-Star right-hander notched his 17th outing of at least seven innings.

Alcantara (11-5) walked two and struck out seven on 108 pitches.

Miguel Rojas and Jacob Stallings had three hits apiece and rookie JJ Bleday homered for the Marlins, who snapped a four-game skid.

NATIONALS 5, CUBS 4: Nelson Cruz hit a tie-breaking solo homer in the eighth inning to lift Washington over visiting Chicago.

Cruz, who hit a two-run double in the fifth, smacked a 1-1 pitch from Brandon Hughes (1-1) to center to snap a 4-all tie with one out in the eighth.

Carl Edwards Jr. (4-3) pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Kyle Finnegan worked the ninth for his fifth save.

Ian Happ hit two solo homers for the Cubs, giving him three in his past three games.

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