Texas Rangers Close Gap on Houston Astros in American League West Race

The Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners are a half-game behind the Houston Astros in the AL West and tied in the Wild Card race.

The Texas Rangers snapped their losing streak, trimmed their Wild Card magic number and made up a game in the American League West on Tuesday night.

The Rangers rallied late for a 6-4 win over the Boston Red Sox, ending their four-game losing streak. Texas (83-68) improved its pathway to a Wild Card berth just a little bit, though the margins really didn’t change. The Toronto Blue Jays won to stay ahead in the second position and the Seattle Mariners won to remain tied with the Rangers.

But in the AL West race, the Rangers cut the Houston Astros’ lead to a half-game thanks to the Baltimore Orioles beating the defending champs. During their lost weekend in Cleveland, the Rangers missed out on two chances to make up ground on the Astros. Tuesday, they finally capitalized.

It means the Astros’ magic number stays put and the Rangers still have a realistic chance to win the West.

Below is an update on the race, with the current standings, magic numbers to clinch the AL West and a Wild Card berth, along with the remaining schedules for the teams that are still in the race.

The AL West Race as of Sept. 20

Tuesday’s AL West results

• Texas 6, Boston 4
• Baltimore 9, Houston 5
• Seattle 7, Oakland 2

AL West Standings (Magic Number)

• Houston (84-68): — (11)
• Texas (83-68): 0.5 GB
• Seattle (83-68): 0.5 GB

What’s Left?

• Houston (10): Wednesday: vs. Baltimore (1); Friday-Sunday: vs. Kansas City (3); Sept. 25-27: at Seattle (3); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: at Arizona (3)
• Seattle (11): Wednesday: at Oakland (1); Friday-Sunday: at Texas (3); Sept. 25-27: vs. Houston (3); Sept. 28-Oct. 1: vs. Texas (4)
• Texas (11): Wednesday: vs. Boston (1); Friday-Sunday: vs. Seattle (3); Sept. 25-27: at Los Angeles Angels (3); Sept. 28-Oct. 1: at Seattle (4)

AL Wild Card Race as of Sept. 20

Tuesday's other key AL Wild Card results

• Tampa Bay 6, Los Angeles Angels 2
• Toronto 7, New York Yankees 1

AL Wild Card Standings

• Tampa Bay (93-59): +9.5*
• Toronto (84-67): +1.0 (11)
• Texas (83-68): — (12)
• Seattle (83-68): — (12)

*-Clinched playoff berth; seeding still TBA

What’s Left?

• Tampa Bay (10): Wednesday-Thursday: vs. Los Angeles Angels (2); Friday-Sunday: vs. Toronto (3); Sept. 26-27: vs. Boston (2); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: at Toronto (3)
• Toronto (11): Wednesday-Thursday: at New York Yankees (3); Friday-Sunday: at Tampa Bay (3); Sept. 26-28: vs. New York Yankees (3); Sept. 29-Oct. 1: vs. Tampa Bay (3)

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

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