American League West Check-In: The Final Stretch

Hello September! With the NFL regular season about to start and fall not too far behind, this month means only one thing. It's the final month of the 2026 Major League Baseball season. We've seen great moments such as high-scoring games and players hitting for their first career cycles. My last update on the American League West teams and how they fared so far was back in July. The teams in this division have underperformed and endured multiple losing streaks. We're going to check up on two of the teams in the division to see how well they've performed since the middle of July. This includes what their overall records are at the moment, their win-loss record since my last update, and where they are in the division and/or place in the Wild Card chase. I've started to focus on the AL West back in May, because covering the rest of the divisions in both leagues would've been time consuming.

Astros (70-68)

The AL West pendulum has shifted once again, as the Houston Astros are currently the division leaders, who are two games ahead of the next team I'll discuss in a moment. Since my last update on July 17, they've went 22-17. The Astros opponents for the final month of the season are as follows:

• vs CWS (4), vs ARI (3), @PHI (3), @TB (3), vs KC (3), vs ATL (3), @SEA (2), @ATH (4)

The White Sox and Philles series are ones I'll be keeping my eyes on, because these two teams are going to be a huge challenge for the Astros. It will make or break their chances of winning the division.

Rangers (68-70)

First and foremost, congratulations to Jacob deGrom for recording his 2,000th career strikeout during the Nationals series last month. My beloved team is two games behind their hated rivals in the AL West and a game and a half behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final Wild Card spot. It was a dismal August for the Rangers. They've gone 18-22 since my last AL West update. Their remaining schedule for the final month of the season are as follows:

• vs ATH (3), vs TB (4), @SEA (3), @ARI (3), vs BOS (3), vs TOR (3), vs NYM (3), @MIN (3)

Judging by the remaining schedule, I see the Rangers winning six out of the eight series. If they win seven out of the eight series, they might clinch their first American League West title since 2016 and punch their ticket to the Postseason since winning their first World Series title in 2023. I'll be focusing on the Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Twins series because they'll determine whether or not the Rangers will win the division or secure a Wild Card Spot. The Blue Jays have been winning games, as they're also in the Wild Card chase. The pitching still has to be on point and consistent, because having Jacob deGrom carrying all of the weight in the rotation isn't going to cut it. It's unclear when Nathan Eovaldi will return from the injured list or at all, but the show must go on. The Rangers have to be aggressive and score runs. Also, the runners in scoring position are still an issue, so they need to take advantage of scoring opportunities. Every series has to be treated as must wins from here on out. Around this time last season, the Rangers were several games under .500 and on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention, which would end up happening. After a disastrous finish to the season, the Rangers fired Bruce Bochy after three seasons as manager. I only highlighted the Astros and Rangers, because due to the Mariners and A's being so far behind in the division and Wild Card chase, there's no point of highlighting their progress in this story. This time, the Rangers are in a good position, and they must seize the opportunity to win as many series as possible.

I'll do a final update before the Postseason gets underway, so be on the lookout for that story on here.