Astros swept by Royals, sink further back in AL West as Rangers grow lead with sweep of Mariners

With per week last in the 2023 MLB common season, the Texas Rangers are in the AL West motive force’s seat whilst the Houston Astros blew a huge alternative at house this weekend. The Rangers finished the three-game house sweep of the Seattle Mariners on Sunday (TEX 9, SEA 8) whilst the Astros were given swept by the 102-loss Kansas City Royals (KC 6, HOU 5).

Here are the up to date AL West standings following Sunday’s video games:

1. Texas Rangers: 87-68
2. Houston Astros: 85-71 (2.5 GB)
3. Seattle Mariners: 84-71 (3 GB)
4. Los Angeles Angels: 70-86 (17.5 GB)
5. Oakland Athletics: 48-108 (39.5 GB)

Not too way back, the Rangers have been mired in an unsightly 4-16 stretch that dropped them out of first position and out of the postseason image completely. They have rebounded really well — Sunday’s win was once their eleventh in the closing 15 video games — together with sweeping Seattle this weekend and sweeping 4 video games from the wild card-contending Blue Jays in Toronto closing week.

The Astros, in the meantime, are 3-12 in their closing 15 video games, together with going 2-7 towards the also-ran Royals and A’s. Those two golf equipment are a mixed 68 video games out of first position. Sunday was once Houston’s ultimate house sport of the common season, they usually wrapped up the 12 months by going 39-42 at Minute Maid Park. It is their first dropping season at house since 2014 (38-43).

As for the Mariners, they went 0-6 at Globe Life Field this season and Sunday’s loss dropped them to 8-14 in September. They are 3-13 towards groups as opposed to the Angels and Athletics this month. Seattle went on a 20-4 run in August and climbed into first position in the AL West for a couple of days. Now they are at the outdoor of the postseason bracket with per week to play.

By past due September requirements, Texas’ 2.5-game lead is huge, however the race is some distance from over. The Rangers will move to Seattle for 4 video games at T-Mobile Park subsequent week. Here is every membership’s last time table:

Despite being in 3rd position and 3 video games back, the Mariners keep an eye on their very own future thank you to these head-to-head collection with the Astros and Rangers. Go 7-0 in the ones closing seven video games and the Mariners will win the AL West, it doesn’t matter what the Rangers do in Anaheim or the Astros do in Arizona. Seattle had two eight-game successful streaks simply closing month. Why cannot they do it once more?

If the Astros move 6-0, they nonetheless want the Rangers to lose no less than 3 of their ultimate seven video games. Houston going 6-0 whilst Texas is going 4-3 would give them similar 91-61 information. All ties are determined mathematically now and the Astros received the season collection 9-4, so they’ve the tiebreaker. Because of that, the Rangers’ 2.5-game lead over Houston is functionally a 1.5-game lead. A tie does the Rangers no just right. They want to win the department outright.

The Rangers have a magic quantity of 5. Any mixture of wins by Texas and losses by the second one position crew (both the Astros or Mariners relying at the day) totaling 5 the remaining of the best way clinched the AL West identify for the Rangers. It can be their first department championship since 2016. Texas in point of fact took care of industry this weekend. The Astros and Mariners didn’t, and now their department hopes are dwindling.