MLB’s more balanced schedule this season means that, instead of playing the Yankees every weekend down the stretch, the Orioles (70-42) will spend more time in the AL Central and the West. That includes three games at home this week against the Houston Astros before a nine-game swing through Seattle, San Diego and Oakland.
Within the AL West, it’s the Rangers’ Texas-sized offseason shopping spree and emergence as a contender that have been the talk of the division this year. But while the Rangers have had their booms and busts the last few years, it’s the Astros who have made themselves into a perennial contender year-in, year-out.