The Blue Jays head to Texas for a series that feels like a must-win in the wild card chase.

Manager John Schneider said this week he's taking a temporary break from scoreboard watching. Nobody actually believes that.

It's impossible to ignore the moving parts around this crawl toward the final AL wild-card spot, especially with Texas next on the schedule.

The Rangers and Astros arrived Thursday tied for the AL West lead at .500, both with better records than Toronto entering play.

One of those two wins the division. The other shifts into this same crowded wild-card race, adding yet another layer to an already jumbled picture.

That three-game series at Globe Life Field from Friday through Sunday isn't mathematically a must-win, but it's hard to picture a more critical set for Toronto the rest of the way.

Depending on Thursday's Red Sox-Rangers finale, Toronto could enter that series a full game behind Texas, or a half-game at best.

Why the Blue Jays no longer control their own destiny

A series loss, even a competitive 2-1 defeat, could leave Toronto two games behind Texas plus a losing tiebreaker, a genuinely serious hole this late in the season.

Cleveland and the White Sox held the final spot 1.5 games ahead of Toronto entering Thursday, adding another pair of teams to track.

Realistically, six teams remain in contention for that single wild-card spot: Toronto, Texas, Houston, Cleveland, the White Sox, and Baltimore, who sit a game behind the Blue Jays with a series against them next week at Camden Yards.

Two of those six become division winners. Three get eliminated. One sneaks in through what's shaping up as a genuinely ugly scenario.

Toronto is no longer in complete control of its own fate, a direct consequence of dropping two of three to the Tigers in its last series.

After Texas, the Blue Jays finish their road slate in Baltimore, then return home for three games against the Reds. Cincinnati is playing out the string, but every series has been a grind for months now, and even a sweep there might not be enough.

The White Sox feel like the biggest threat given they hold the tiebreaker over Toronto, even while finishing their own schedule against the last-place Rockies.

Toronto would currently lose a tiebreaker against Texas too, adding real weight to taking at least two of three this weekend. The Blue Jays would win tiebreakers against Cleveland and Baltimore, and sit in a TBD spot with Houston after splitting the season series 3-3.

The bottom line: Toronto has gotten plenty of help from teams stumbling in a race many shouldn't even be part of, but the Blue Jays remain on the outside looking in. They need more help, and they need to take care of their own business first.