Texas Rangers have clear opening in AL West with Houston in free fall

Houston currently owns one of baseball’s worst records while continuing to struggle through constant roster instability. The Astros sit at 17-28, a full five games behind even the third-place Rangers.

Their recent form has been ugly. They were blown out 10-2 by the Seattle Mariners on May 13 and dropped another 8-3 decision to Seattle on May 15, going 1-2 in that home series.

Critically, Houston now faces a three-game series against Texas this weekend, beginning May 16, giving the Rangers a direct chance to bury their division rivals even deeper.

Meanwhile, pitching has kept Texas competitive despite several frustrating offensive stretches. Jacob deGrom has once again looked like the ace of the rotation while giving the Rangers stability every fifth day.

The bullpen has also delivered consistently strong performances throughout the opening weeks of the season.

The Rangers still face major concerns preventing a true breakthrough. Texas continues struggling offensively across several important lineup spots, while injuries have weakened overall roster depth.

Corey Seager’s prolonged slump has become one of the clearest examples of the club’s broader offensive inconsistency.

One underreported factor in the AL West picture is the Los Angeles Angels, who sit at 16-28 alongside Houston as one of baseball's worst teams.

The Angels' struggles mean the bottom of the division is effectively a two-team dead zone, giving Oakland, Seattle and Texas a near-certain three-team race for the title the rest of the way.

Fortunately for Texas, the rest of the division continues showing flaws as well. The Seattle Mariners remain inconsistent offensively, while the Athletics still face questions about maintaining success across a full season.

If the division continues trading uneven performances, the Rangers may not need to become a dominant team immediately.

Texas also has a favorable schedule on the immediate horizon. After the three-game series in Houston this weekend, the Rangers travel to Colorado, one of the NL's weakest teams at 17-27, for another three games.

Back-to-back series against two struggling clubs represents a genuine chance to build momentum and move into second place or better before June.

For Texas, the path toward an AL West title suddenly looks far more realistic than it did earlier this spring. The biggest question now becomes whether the Rangers can finally capitalize on the opening Houston unexpectedly created.

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