ARLINGTON - The American League West is a dead heat again, and the path through it has not gotten any softer.
The Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-1 on Friday night at Globe Life Field, then watched the Atlanta Braves finish the job in Houston. Atlanta's 6-2 win clinched a playoff berth for the Braves and dropped the Astros to 77-77 - the same record Texas carried out of Arlington.
The Associated Press and CBS Sports both put the clubs in a first-place tie with a handful of dates left, and both underscored the same stubborn detail: Houston still owns the season-series edge after taking nine of 13 from Texas this year. An even finish still hands the division to the Astros.
Friday repaired Thursday's slide. Twenty-four hours earlier, Trevor Story's eighth-inning homer had pushed Texas a game back. One night later, a four-run second inning against Dylan Cease and a quiet bullpen bridge put the Rangers back on the top line of the board.
How the second inning flipped the opener
Cease walked a season-high six among his first 15 batters and was gone with two outs in the third after throwing 38 balls and 36 strikes, the Associated Press noted. Evan Carter's bases-loaded grounder scored Wyatt Langford. Jake Burger also came home when shortstop Ernie Clement's throw trying to force him at third bounced wide into foul territory. Corey Seager's RBI double made it 4-0.
Five of Texas' seven runs were unearned. Toronto walked 10 and committed three throwing errors, two by third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. Kumar Rocker carried the 4-0 lead into the fifth before Tyler Alexander and Trevor Williams finished the night. Williams worked four scoreless innings and improved to 2-0.
The Blue Jays managed five hits. Nathan Lukes' majors-longest active hitting streak ended at 13 when he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth after going 0-for-2.
Why a share of first is not enough
The standings line looks clean. The tiebreaker does not. Race math all week has framed the same problem: the Rangers must finish ahead of the Astros, not merely even, because Houston owns the season-series edge. Friday's result did not change that math. It only restored the opportunity to keep stacking the wins that do.
Houston's loss came against a Braves club that is now October-bound. Michael Harris II, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson each hit two-run homers in the 6-2 decision, Field Level Media reported. The Astros still control their own division destiny if they stay even with Texas; the Rangers do not.
