Going into a seven-game homestand – three against the Mariners and four against the Red Sox -- the Astros have pulled within 2.5 games of the Rangers in the American League West.
Entering Friday night's game against the Mariners with rookie J.P. France (9-3, 2.74 ERA) on the mound, this is an ideal time for the Astros to make their move, put more pressure on the Rangers and find a way to overtake them for the first time this season.
What a race the AL West has become. The Rangers (72-49), Astros (70-52) and Mariners (66-55) have been among the best teams in baseball since Aug. 1. Texas is 12-3, Seattle 11-4 and Houston 10-5. All three teams are 7-3 over their last 10 games.
What every Astro fan wants to know is can they overtake the Rangers, win another division championship, get as far as the American League Championship Series for a seventh consecutive season and play in a fifth World Series during that seven-year span?
The problem is the Rangers just might be too good this season to let it happen.
In a race that features managers destined for the Hall of Fame, Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker have to be at their strategical best as August starts to fade and teams are headed for a pressure-packed September.
Enticed to come out of retirement to accept the Rangers' offer, Bochy has been doing an extraordinary job. Bochy won three World Series with the Giants. Baker won his first last season. Watching them direct their teams at a time when every series counts even more for contenders is worth the price of admission.
Baker has been forced to overcome more injuries than Bochy. The Astros never had Lance McCullers Jr. They lost Luis Garcia after six starts. Jose Urquidy missed more than three months. Jose Altuve has missed time with two injuries. Yordan Alvarez sat out almost six weeks. And yet we still find the Astros 2.5 games out of first place.
When it comes to balance, this could be the best team the Rangers have had.
After trading for Max Scherzer and Jordan Montgomery, the Rangers' pitching has been exceptional, almost matching their prodigious hitting. They've got excellent starters and a bullpen that's been dominant over the last months. Fans in the Metroplex are starting to believe their team can hold off any challenge the Astros present, including in the playoffs.
Imagine the excitement in the Lone Star State if the last teams standing in the American League playoffs are the Astros and Rangers. The winner advances to the World Series. That would mark the epitome of an old-fashioned Texas rivalry.
Too bad the Astros and Rangers have only one series remaining – three games in September at Arlington. Imagine the pressure they should be facing at that time.
The Astros can't be looking up at the Rangers too often because they've got the Mariners closing in on them. While the Rangers are hosting the Brewers (65-57), who lead the NL Central by two games, the Astros figure to have their hands full with the Mariners at Minute Maid Park.
Like Bochy, Seattle manager Scott Servais was a catcher for the Astros. Servais has the Mariners on a roll, winning their last three games. Seattle has struggled away from home, compiling a 29-33 road record. The Astros are better on the road (37-26) than at home (33-26). Only Baltimore has more road victories than the Astros in the American League.
The Astros need another sterling performance from France, who's been their best and most consistent starter in recent weeks. In his last five appearances, including one relief stint, France is 5-0. In 31.1 innings, he's allowed 25 hits and five earned runs.
France and the other starting pitchers, who have ranged from inconsistent (Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown and Justin Verlander) to disappointing (Cristian Javier), are backed by a bullpen that's been exceptional recently. The relievers are pitching the way they did last season when they were the best in baseball and essential to winning the World Series.
The hitters have produced at least 11 runs in three of the last six games. That's not going to impress the Rangers, but that's not what's important this weekend. The Astros must win their series against the Mariners, keep putting heat on Texas and hope the pressure of the playoff race makes the Rangers' collars a little tighter.
(John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on Sports Radio 610 and before every practice during training camp on Texans Radio. He also writes three columns a week and does two Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.)
