With a presen residue within the 2023 MLB familiar season, the Texas Rangers are within the AL West driving force’s seat month 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) month the Astros were given swept through the 102-loss Kansas Town Royals (KC 6, HOU 5).

Listed 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)

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

The Astros, in the meantime, are 3-12 of their terminating 15 video games, together with going 2-7 in opposition to the also-ran Royals and A’s. The ones two golf equipment are a mixed 68 video games out of first park. Sunday was once Houston’s ultimate house contest of the familiar season, they usually wrapped up the past through going 39-42 at Slight Maid Ground. It’s their first shedding season at house since 2014 (38-43).

As for the Mariners, they went 0-6 at Globe Moment Garden this season and Sunday’s loss dropped them to 8-14 in September. They’re 3-13 in opposition to groups alternative than the Angels and Athletics this future. Seattle went on a 20-4 run in August and climbed into first park within the AL West for a couple of days. Now they’re at the outdoor of the postseason bracket with a presen to play games.

Through overdue September requirements, Texas’ 2.5-game govern is massive, however the race is a ways from over. The Rangers will exit to Seattle for 4 video games at T-Cellular Ground upcoming presen. This is each and every membership’s residue agenda:

In spite of being in 3rd park and 3 video games again, the Mariners regulate their very own future thank you to these head-to-head order with the Astros and Rangers. Proceed 7-0 in the ones terminating 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 profitable streaks simply terminating future. Why can’t they do it once more?

If the Astros exit 6-0, they nonetheless want the Rangers to lose no less than 3 in their ultimate seven video games. Houston going 6-0 month Texas is going 4-3 would give them equivalent 91-61 data. All ties are made up our minds mathematically now and the Astros received the season order 9-4, so they have got the tiebreaker. On account of that, the Rangers’ 2.5-game govern over Houston is functionally a 1.5-game govern. A fix does the Rangers incorrect excellent. They want to win the category outright.

The Rangers have a charm choice of 5. Any aggregate of wins through Texas and losses through the second one park staff (both the Astros or Mariners relying at the date) totaling 5 the left-overs of the best way clinched the AL West identify for the Rangers. It will be their first category championship since 2016. Texas actually took lend a hand of commercial this weekend. The Astros and Mariners didn’t, and now their category hopes are dwindling.