ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — This time of 12 months, Houston Astros supervisor Dusty Baker is often beginning to consider getting some relaxation for his on a regular basis gamers and placing collectively pitching plans for the playoffs.
Not but this season in what’s shaping up for a wild West end within the American League.
The reigning World Sequence champion Astros will go into the ultimate 10 days of the common season with solely a half-game lead within the AL West over each Seattle and Texas in any case have been off Thursday. The Mariners play their last 10 video games towards these different two groups.
“These tight (races), they’ll construct character. So, let’s see what sort of character we’ve received,” Baker stated.
“It’s sort of cool to see three groups combating for one spot, two spots with the wild card,” Mariners first baseman Ty France stated. “It’s precisely how we wished to complete, and hopefully we will deal with enterprise.”
Seattle opens a three-game collection at Texas on Friday evening with these groups tied for the American League’s third and last wild-card spot, and Toronto proper forward of them. The Mariners then go house for 3 video games towards Houston and 4 extra towards the Rangers.
Houston has 85 wins after their walk-off victory Wednesday over AL-best Baltimore to remain in entrance and keep away from being swept at house. That’s yet another win than the Mariners and Rangers — all three groups have 68 losses.
The Astros fairly comfortably received every of the final 5 AL West titles decided over full 162-game schedules, together with by 16 video games final season. They’ve been to the AL Championship Sequence six years in a row, whilst a 29-31 wild card through the COVID-altered 2020 season. They went to the World Sequence 4 instances in that span, profitable two of them.
Solely 39-39 at house, the Astros host 102-loss Kansas Metropolis this weekend earlier than going to Seattle and NL wild-card contender Arizona.
“I don’t assume it’s going be an issue for us to go on the market and focus and win some video games,” stated Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, including that their previous success ought to assist them.
Texas, already ensured its first profitable document since 2016, led the AL West for 148 of the season’s first 149 days by way of Aug. 26. However the Rangers had misplaced 20 of 30 video games earlier than back-to-back wins over Boston.
“It’s been a heck of a trip … some steep, steep hills, up and down. It’s not like I’ve seen, to be trustworthy, while you have a look at this roller-coaster trip,” stated Rangers supervisor Bruce Bochy, a three-time World Sequence champion with San Francisco earlier than being out of the dugout the previous three seasons.
”However I missed it. … In case you instructed me I’d been on this state of affairs final 12 months after I wasn’t doing this, I might have finished a cartwheel round this ballpark.”
The Rangers have two a number of Cy Younger Award winners, however Jacob deGrom (elbow surgical procedure) hasn’t pitched since April and trade-deadline acquisition Max Scherzer is on the injured checklist with a strained muscle in his shoulder. 5 of their six All-Stars have been on the IL since that July 11 recreation, with slugger Adolis Garcia and rookie third baseman Josh Jung the final to return this week.
Seattle and Texas final met the primary weekend in June, when the Rangers swept three video games at house, together with 16-6 and 12-3 wins. The Mariners, who final season made the playoffs for the primary time since 2001, have been then 29-30 and 9 1/2 video games out of the division lead.
Whereas solely 1-5 towards Texas to this point, the Mariners have received eight of 10 towards the Astros. Houston went 9-4 towards the Rangers, hitting 16 homers and outscoring them 39-10 in a three-game highway sweep simply two weeks in the past to take sole possession of the division lead for the primary time all season.
The Mariners had a pair of eight-game profitable streaks in August whereas led by their younger star Julio Rodriguez, whose 176 hits are tied with Texas leadoff hitter Marcus Semien for many within the AL. However they misplaced at the very least three video games in a row 3 times in September earlier than they swept three video games in Oakland this week.
Seattle does have expertise with the feelings and swings of a playoff chase. The M’s received 90 video games every of the final two seasons, simply lacking a postseason berth in 2021. They received within the wild-card spherical towards Toronto final 12 months earlier than Houston swept them within the AL Division Sequence.
“You lose two video games in a row and oh my god, the sky is falling. And then you definately win two video games in a row and all people’s, ‘Oh we’re a lock.’ It simply comes and goes so rapidly,” Seattle supervisor Scott Servais stated. “After you’ve gone by way of it a few times like we’ve finished the final couple of years, you perceive it’s nearly immediately’s recreation initially, then transfer on to the following day. You actually can’t management the rest.”
No staff controls its future as a lot as Seattle due to the schedule, although the Rangers will attempt to seize that very same alternative.
“We’ve received a seven-game set with the staff that we have to beat probably the most,” Texas first baseman Nathaniel Lowe stated. “It’s proper in entrance of us. … It’s going to per week filled with like just-about playoff baseball.”
___
AP Baseball Author Janie McCauley and AP Sports activities Author Kristie Rieken contributed to this report.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
