Opposites subtract.

Back on July 4, after Texas had lost its third straight and fifth out of six (four to teams with losing records), seeing what had been a 10-game division lead tighten to 7.5 games in less than a week, I tweeted: “If, after play August 9, Texas is still up at least five games in the West, I’ll feel good.”

The date wasn’t picked at random. August 9, though five weeks away at that point, would be the final day of what seemed like a big eight-game homestand against East-leading Baltimore, the hard-charging Astros, and Colorado.

Though the Rangers’ division lead shriveled further, all the way down to 2.5 games late in July, the club found a groove on that pivotal homestand and built the cushion, as of that August 9 benchmark date, back up to 7.0 games.

So, yes, I felt good.

Now it’s August 24. The regular season has less than six weeks left. Time is on the Rangers’ side, and they still maintain a lead of 5.5 games in the West, though now it’s the Mariners — who play Texas seven times in the next 15 days (and not again after that) — who are tightening things up.

One more in Cincinnati today, followed by a huge Indians-Mariners-Astros homestand, and then four in Seattle through September 8.

The Rangers have allowed two more runs than they have scored in 2016, an extraordinary statistic given that they lead the American League with 73 wins.

Seattle, by way of comparison, is at +49, and Houston is at +42.

MLB’s five other division leaders: +214, +137, +100, +98, +72.

The four teams currently holding down Wild Card spots: +121, +87, +45, +26.

The 73-53 Texas Rangers: -2.

So weird.

Of course, the present roster is not the same as the one that Texas played with for much of the first half.

Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo are gone (and man, does this lineup miss Choo and his approach), but in are Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Beltran.

Yu Darvish is back and soon Colby Lewis should rejoin Derek Holland (who was outstanding last night) to boost the rotation.

As it appears Lucroy is doing himself.

The arrival of Jeremy Jeffress and the emergence of Alex Claudio have helped to settle and ease the workload on a bullpen that’s missing Shawn Tolleson and that got nothing out of Tom Wilhelmsen.

In a week Joey Gallo will give the club another weapon on the bench, Dario Alvarez and a sizzling Jose Leclerc and a rejuvenated Andrew Faulkner could bring swing-and-miss stuff back to the pen, and don’t count Tanner Scheppers out. If Lewis’s return means A.J. Griffin moves into long relief, that should help.

The lead is back down to 5.5. Texas has lost three straight, all to teams not only with losing records but in fact sitting in last place in their own divisions and hopelessly out of the running for anything in 2016 aside from draft position.

But after today, better opponents loom, and for whatever reason this year that’s been a very good thing for the Rangers.

If, after play September 8, two weeks from tomorrow, Texas is still up at least five games in the West, I’ll feel good.

And then I’ll feel comfortable spending time thinking about the fact that the Rangers, happily, will only have to face teams with winning records when the post-season rolls around.