The Houston Astros took over first place in the American League West on Friday night, beating the Texas Rangers 11-2 and turning a tight race into a half-game lead. Houston is 56-55 after its ninth win in its last 10 games, while the Rangers were pushed out of the top spot by a lineup that kept coming all night.
People searching Jacob deGrom had reason to look at the standings too, because the Rangers had been first before Houston's offense took control early and never let go. Yordan Álvarez started the surge with a two-run single in the bottom of the second inning, Jeremy Peña added an RBI single in the fourth and Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker opened the fifth with back-to-back solo home runs.
The margin widened after Texas scored two runs in the top of the sixth, then the Astros answered with a seven-run seventh that broke the game open. Yainer Diaz hit a solo home run in that inning and finished with a game-high four hits, Peña added a two-run double, Paredes drove in another run with a single and Lucas Spence followed with an RBI single in the eighth. Hunter Brown gave Houston 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs, enough to keep the game in hand before the bullpen finished it.
The Rangers' loss mattered because it came with the division lead on the line and left them a half-game behind in the American League West. Houston did not just win a game; it seized control of the race on the same night the standings changed at the top. For Texas, the comeback path now starts with trying to catch a club that has won nine of 10 and looks finished waiting for the race to come to it.
