They no longer hold the distinction of being MLB's worst-ever division winner in a full season. The Houston Astros (ATH 6, HOU 5) and Texas Rangers (MIN 10, TEX 2) both lost Friday night and fell to 79-81. This year's AL West winner will have a worse record than those 2005 Padres, who won the NL West with an 82-80 record.
"Two games left," Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said on Friday (via MLB.com). "We'll obviously be scoreboard watching tonight. It's part of the game and part of where we're at in the season.
The important thing is to come back tomorrow and do whatever we can to fight and to try to win that game tomorrow. That's the most important game. Tough one today, no doubt about it.
But we have to figure out a way to keep going, stay positive and win tomorrow." AL WEST STANDINGS 1. Seattle Mariners: 74-86 (eliminated) Jacob deGrom, whom the Rangers gave a five-year contract worth $185 million precisely to win games like Friday, gave up eight runs and failed to complete five innings against the Minnesota Twins. To add injury to insult, third baseman Josh Jung was hit by a pitch in the top of the first inning and suffered a broken right hand.
He's done for at least this final weekend, and maybe longer. "(Jung) is out, that's pretty significant," Schumaker said (via MLB.com). "Him and Joc (Pederson) both with hand fractures or wrist fractures, it's not ideal at this time of the year.
But we've still got to go. We have two games left, and we've got to figure this thing out." The Astros, meanwhile, are stretched to the absolute limit of their pitching depth. Ace Hunter Brown and relievers Bennett Sousa and A.J.
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