ARLINGTON -- The Red Sox's playoff hopes for this season are all but over, as the team was eliminated from AL East contention earlier this month, but they've managed to stay in games and put up gutsy performances even against contending teams.

While most would expect a team well out of the playoff hunt to roll over and focus on next season, the Red Sox seem eager to end the season on a high note and compile as many wins as they can before the year is up.

“We’re gonna keep playing hard and we’re not going to quit,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We want to win as many games as possible.”

Though they dropped the second game of the series, 6-4, on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field, the team showed grit and competed for all nine innings. Tasked with a three-game series against a talented Rangers team in the thick of an AL Wild Card race, the Red Sox didn’t flinch, and have been aggressive in all phases against Texas.

“We’re doing this for us,” Cora said. “It’s not about which teams are in the hunt. We play every game the right way and we play to win games.”

Boston took an early lead and held it for the majority of the game, but ultimately the pitching couldn’t keep the Rangers’ offense at bay.

Red Sox starter Tanner Houck, who fanned seven batters in his previous outing, had an up-and-down day on the mound. At times, his sinker and slider combination overwhelmed batters and kept a potent Rangers lineup off-balance. Through four-plus innings pitched, Houck struck out four batters and allowed two runs on three hits.

On the flip side, Houck also struggled with his command and matched his career high of four walks in the contest -- largely undoing most of the positives from his outing.

“It was off,” Cora said of the pitching staff’s command. “We were off today. I believe we allowed eight walks today. Which, at this level, you can’t do that. When we do that, especially against those hitters, the line keeps moving and they’re gonna get more at-bats and that’s what happened.”

Offensively, Masataka Yoshida was the lone highlight, as he accounted for half of Boston’s runs.

With runners on second and third base in the third inning, Yoshida lined a go-ahead two-run single off former Red Sox hurler Nathan Eovaldi to center field for Boston’s first (and only) lead of the game. The two-run knock snapped a nine-game RBI drought for Yoshida, who had been 0-for-his-last-9 with runners in scoring position.

“It was a good swing,” Cora said. “I believe it was a splitter in the zone and he just stayed through the middle. That’s what he does. I know he’s been scuffling lately, especially with runners in scoring position, but that was a good swing.

“We’re gonna keep playing him. It’s a good test for him to go all the way to the finish line. It’s a challenge. It’s a different season for him, but he’s not making any excuses. We’re gonna keep grinding through it and we’ll be ready to compete tomorrow.”