The Wild, Wild AL West race is so tight the Rangers, Astros and Mariners can hardly breathe – one game separates the top-three teams.
The first-place Rangers (72-54) are struggling with a six-game losing streak. The second-place Astros (72-55) have won two in a row and are 0.5 games behind the Rangers. The Mariners (71-55) have an eight-game winning streak and have moved within one game of first place.
A good indication of what the three teams are experiencing during the dog days of August can be found in their records over the last 10 games: Rangers (3-7), Astros (5-5) and Mariners (8-2). Every game they play for the rest of the season is meaningful because the distance from first to third place is just one small step that must feel like a giant leap.
Dusty Baker’s Astros feel right at home in a pennant race. They’re trying to reach the American League Championship Series for a seventh consecutive season and a fifth World Series during that period.
The excruciating pressure of the pennant race has made the Rangers’ collars so tight they’re choking. They lost again Tuesday night at Arizona, a 6-3 defeat that left them reeling. They’re in unfamiliar territory -- rarefied air that’s left them gasping.
After getting embarrassed by Seattle in the weekend series at Minute Maid Park, the Astros have recovered, winning back-to-back games over the Red Sox, including 7-3 on Tuesday behind Justin Verlander’s sterling pitching performance.
The Mariners, who have become accustomed to pennant races, defeated the White Sox 6-3. Seattle is so good right now that lead-off hitter Julio Rodriquez sat out the last two games at Chicago, but they whipped the White Sox soundly to increase their winning streak.
Watch out for the Mariners. By the time they finish their next three series to end August, the Rangers and Astros could be looking up at them. Seattle has seven games remaining against three of the worst teams in baseball – White Sox, Royals and A’s.
The Astros have two more games at home against the Red Sox before going on the road to play three against Detroit and three more against Boston.
The Rangers, who’ve been see-sawing since the All-Star break, are headed to Minnesota for four games and then to New York to play the Mets three times. The Twins lead the AL Central while the Mets are 7-3 in their last 10 games.
If the Astros never see Seattle again, it’ll be too soon. They have a 2-8 record against the Mariners after getting hammered three consecutive times over the weekend. After Sunday’s defeat, they called for a players-only meeting that preceded consecutive victories over the Red Sox.
The Astros have one three-game series remaining against the Rangers and Mariners, both on the road. They play at Texas on Sept. 6-8 and Seattle on Sept. 25-27. That trip to the Mariners begins a six-game road trip to close regular season. The last series is a trip to Arizona.
Until Verlander was outstanding against the Red Sox, the performance of Baker’s starters – with the exception of rookie J.P. France – has been an issue. Verlander stopped the bleeding, at least momentarily.
In six innings, Verlander allowed five hits, no runs and one walk. He struck out nine, elevating his record to 9-6 with a 3.19 ERA. He’s 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA since being acquired from the Mets at the trade deadline.
Now Framber Valdez (9-9, 3.55 ERA), Cristian Javier (9-2, 4.52) and Hunter Brown (9-9, 4.50) have to get their acts together and start pitching the way they’re capable.
With the exception of his no-hitter, Valdez has been mostly mediocre since the All-Star break. On Monday night, Javier, whose record is misleading, threw 105 pitches in five innings and allowed three runs. He was fortunate the hitters exploded, including a pair of home runs by Chas McCormick and one by Yainer Diaz to allow Javier to get credit for his second victory in 2 ½ months. Brown, who had been reliable in back-to-back starts, got pulverized by the Mariners. In 2.2 innings on Sunday, he surrendered eight hits and six earned runs in a 7-6 loss.
France (9-4, 2.75) continues to be the most reliable starter. In his last start against the Mariners, he allowed two runs but got no support from his hitters in what turned into a 2-0 defeat.
Fortunately for the Astros, their bullpen has been tremendous since the trade deadline. Going into Tuesday’s game, their 1.92 ERA in August was the best in baseball. That’s the kind of collective performance that allowed them to have MLB’s best bullpen last season when they won the World Series.
Brian Abreu (2.17) and Ryan Pressly (2.82) haven’t allowed a run in August. Hector Neris (2.09) is having his best season, and Kendall Graveman (3.09) has been a nice addition to the bullpen. Since being acquired from the White Sox, Graveman’s ERA with the Astros is 1.59.
Hopefully for Astros’ fans, the hitters will continue to rake like they have against Boston, and the starting pitching will improve from its recent mediocrity. Every victory and defeat have playoff implications.
Jose Urquidy and France start the last two games against the Red Sox before they go on the road. The Astros have been more successful away from Minute Maid Park than they have been at home. They need to win at least three of four against the Red Sox and get ready for the trips to Detroit and Boston as the Wild, Wild AL West race intensifies during this most exciting time of the season.
(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.)