The more optimistic among us thought that, once the Astros got healthy and got into the soft underbelly of their mid-September schedule, they would open up a 4-5 game lead, skip a few turns in the rotation, and walk to a division title. Last week disabused us of that notion as the Good Guys went 2-4 against the two worst teams in the American League.
Still, the Astros have a clear advantage. They’re 1.5 games up on Arlington and 2.5 up on Seattle. Those teams have an extra game, but it’s against one another, which makes being “only one game and two games back in the loss column” a moot point, since they’re guaranteed to go, collectively 1-1 on the day they play during the Astros’ off-day.