Things are beginning to get pretty wild in the West, as the standings in the AL West division seem to be changing on a daily basis. The Texas Rangers now have control of the division, but they still have 2 more games in their series with the Houston Astros that could see things change up again before all is said and done. These two will play the final game of the series on Thursday night in Arlington.
It may be fair to say that panic is starting to set in over in the Houston Astros (77-68) camp. Their division lead has been wiped out, and they are now clinging to the final spot in the Wild Card by a game and a half. The Astros have something of a mixed bag in their remaining games, with match-up against teams well out of the playoffs, as well as series against the Rangers and the Angels. It’s a schedule that could see them home, but only if they can find a way to get their swagger back. A series win would be a good way to start, but they are going to have to wait until the next one before that happens. The goal at this point must be to get the split in this series, as losing it would put them in a very sticky situation indeed. Lance McCullers (5-5, 3.10 ERA) has pitched well in his last 4 starts, but has received little in the way of run support.
Astros vs Rangers: MLB Betting Preview
Date: Thursday, September 17, 2015 Time: 8:05PM Venue: Globe Life Park Opening Line: Texas/Houston -105 pick’em
Watch Prince Fielder speed around the bases as Statcast tracks his journey from first to home. http://t.co/LHU7uyocTR pic.twitter.com/ZNinQSv3AS
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 16, 2015
There are some who will say that the Rangers (77-67) are only in top right now because the Astros are going in the tank. While there is some validity to that claim, you have to give the Rangers a lot of credit for how they have played since the trade deadline. They have maintained a level of focus that other teams in the playoff hunt simply haven’t been able to match. It would have been easy for Texas to relax a little when they hit the Wild Card spot, but they kept going, shipping away at the Astros lead in the process. They came out and won the first two games of this series to take control of the division, and have now won 5 straight games against Houston, all at home. They still have 3 more against them to come once this series is over, so all is not yet said and done in this division. Colby Lewis (15-8, 4.45 ERA) was hit hard the last time he faced the Astros, but still managed to come away with the win.
It may be fair to say that panic is starting to set in over in the Houston Astros (77-68) camp. Their division lead has been wiped out, and they are now clinging to the final spot in the Wild Card by a game and a half. The Astros have something of a mixed bag in their remaining games, with match-up against teams well out of the playoffs, as well as series against the Rangers and the Angels. It’s a schedule that could see them home, but only if they can find a way to get their swagger back. A series win would be a good way to start, but they are going to have to wait until the next one before that happens. The goal at this point must be to get the split in this series, as losing it would put them in a very sticky situation indeed. Lance McCullers (5-5, 3.10 ERA) has pitched well in his last 4 starts, but has received little in the way of run support.
