AL West Standings by run differential: Astros leave division foes in the dust

After a questionable start to the 2025 season, the Houston Astros are surging. The Astros' pitching staff has put the team on their backs recently, and that bats are finally beginning to wake up. Joe Espada has his team making waves in the AL West after a brutal start.

Obviously wins and losses are the only statistic that truly matters—just because you lead the league in homers doesn't automatically put you atop the standings. Nevertheless, in a sport dominated by analytics and advanced metrics, other stats can better quantify the trajectory of a team. Few stats give fans a better idea of their team's status as a contender than run differential.

It's quite simply how many runs your team scores versus how many runs your team allows. Anything above 0 is generally good, and the higher the number, the more likely it is that your team is doing all the little things that result in wins. How do the Astros stack up against the rest of the AL West in run differential? Note: All stats were recorded prior to games on Friday, April 25, 2025.

AL West Standings by run differential: Astros leave division foes in the dust

The Astros (13-11) recent stretch of five wins in six games has Houston now sitting in the third-place behind the Seattle Mariners (14-11) and Texas Rangers (14-11) who are tied for first-place in the AL West. But, with a +11 run differential, the Astros actually sit atop the AL West standings.

The Mariners have a respectable +4 run differential, which would place them second behind the Astros. Seattle's starting rotation is as fearsome as ever, but Houston's pitching staff has been even more stingy this season. Astros' hurlers have allowed just 81 runs; the fewest in the American League.

The Rangers have a -15 run differential, mostly due to the fact that Bruce Bochy's bunch can't score. Texas' 90 runs scored is the fewest in the AL West, and only the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox have put forth a more pathetic offensive showing.

Both the Athletics and Angels have an equally troublesome -17 run differential. The A's are scoring runs in bunches, but are having a difficult time keeping the opposition from doing the same. LA's 112 runs allowed so far this season is keeping the Halos from climbing the AL West standings.

But it's wins, not runs, that count. Houston is hoping to keep up their impressive pitching and timely hitting on the upswing heading into the weekend series against the Kansas City Royals. KC is riding a four-game win-streak, but they're having trouble putting runs on the board. That bodes well for an Astros' team that has been keeping the scoreboard rather clean of late.

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