The Division Line

The AL West race is tightening at the top while Houston implodes at the bottom. Texas and the Athletics are deadlocked at 11-11, the Angels a half-game back, Seattle 10-13 but showing life. Then there’s Houston at 8-15, last place by three and a half, losing four straight to close a homestand that included a sweep by St. Louis and one win against Colorado.The Rangers went 3-4 on the road, splitting with both the Athletics and Seattle, which tells you more about their October ceiling than any home win. Eovaldi is rounding into form. The bullpen held up. The offense left 62 runners on base in seven games.Seattle is 9-5 at home and 1-8 on the road. The Athletics are 6-4 in their last ten. The Angels are hanging around without defining themselves.Jeremy Peña, Josh Hader, and Joey Loperfido are residing on the Injured List in Houston. The dynasty isn’t stumbling. It’s crashing.The Division Line — every Monday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Substack. Full coverage at thebaseballnerd.com. Get full access to The Baseball Nerd at thebaseballnerd.substack.com/subscribe