In a weekly post, we'll take a look around the AL West — what's happened so far, and what's on tap in the coming days.
1. Houston Astros (73-61) — The Astros just lost a series to Seattle at home and are finally starting to show some signs of wear. The result? The Rangers are now within two games of them for the division lead and just one game back in the loss column. There's another good team coming to town this weekend. Next up: Friday, 7:10 p.m., vs. Minnesota Twins.
2. Texas Rangers (70-62) — What a difference six weeks can make, huh? At that time, it would've been nuts to say the Rangers had the best lineup and pitching staff in the division. Now, it's pretty clear. The Rangers just took a series in San Diego and have won seven of 10, and they've served notice: They're coming. Next up: Friday, 9:05 p.m., at Los Angeles Angels.
3. Los Angeles Angels (67-66) — The Angels have won two straight but have still just won four of their last 10 games. Their pitching has continued to struggle and their lineup isn't much better at the moment. Even with a sweep of Texas this weekend, which is unlikely, they wouldn't catch the Rangers. Next up: Friday, 9:05 p.m., vs. Texas Rangers.
4. Seattle Mariners (63-71) — The Mariners just took two of the three in Houston, which was huge for the Rangers. They're going to have a chance to play spoiler over the last month, and that's about all they have left to play for at the moment. Next up: Friday, 9:05 p.m., at Oakland Athletics.
5. Oakland Athletics (58-76) — See above. The same thing basically applies to Oakland as the AL West teams are all facing each other throughout September. Next up: Friday, 9:05 p.m. vs. Seattle Mariners.
