According to ESPN, the American League races for the AL West title and the third wild-card spot have produced one of the weakest stretches in MLB history. The week began with only four AL teams holding winning records; the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers were tied for the AL West lead at 65-66, with the Cleveland Guardians matching that mark. If the playoffs had begun that week, two teams with losing records would have advanced, ESPN noted.
Historical context underscores the oddity. By full-season winning percentage, some of the worst playoff teams in modern times include the 2005 San Diego Padres (82-80), the 1973 New York Mets (82-79), the 2025 Cincinnati Reds (83-79), the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals (83-78) and five teams that finished 84-78, according to ESPN. The 2020 and 1981 seasons produced losing-record playoff teams in unusual formats, but those years are generally viewed as exceptions.
ESPN also reported that only one of the eight teams in contention has a positive run differential, Detroit, which entered the week with the worst record among the group. Several contenders have subpar run margins; the Seattle Mariners, for example, suffered lopsided August losses by scores of 22-0, 19-2, 11-0 and 8-0 yet remained three games out of first place in the division.
The Astros entered the latest update at 66-66 with a minus-42 run differential. According to ESPN, Yordan Alvarez is a Triple Crown candidate and the AL MVP favorite, and closer Josh Hader was 19-for-19 in save chances with a 0.81 ERA after a late-season start. Houston’s rotation ranks 28th in ERA at 5.19 and projects to post the lowest rotation WAR in franchise history. Recent acquisition Daulton Varsho has hit .186 with six RBIs in 19 games. Houston finished the regular-season series with Texas 9-4 and faces a mid-September trip to Philadelphia and Tampa Bay before ending with four games at Oakland.
The Rangers were listed at 66-67 with a minus-41 run differential. ESPN cited utilityman Ezequiel Duran’s versatility — he has started at seven positions and leads the team in WAR — and Jacob Latz’s 1.68 ERA and 26 saves as reasons the club remains competitive. Texas has gone 22-13 in one-run games but ranks tied for 25th in runs per game at 4.05. Chase Silseth has been serviceable from the bullpen while Logan O’Hoppe and Adam Macko have spent time in the minors. The Rangers open a nine-game September homestand against Boston, Toronto and the Mets and have remaining tiebreakers in hand over several rivals, with the Twins to be determined, ESPN reported.
