Astros’ biggest division rival is folding under pressure ahead of stretch run

The AL West was supposed to be a dogfight coming into the 2024 season, with the Houston Astros firmly in the mix. The Rangers were coming off a World Series win last year, and the Mariners had a loaded pitching staff while adding some offensive pieces to back up Julio Rodriguez. You would struggle to find anyone that thought that the division was anything less than one of the best in baseball before the season.

However, that isn't how things have turned out. The Astros famously fell on their faces to start the year before going on their current run to the top of the division. Texas (un)fortunately has dealt with a number of injuries on both sides of the ball, and has been felled by the fact that relying on aging pitchers is generally a bad idea.

As for the Mariners, they were making things interesting for a bit. However, Seattle has fallen off considerably of late, and after their latest dud against the Dodgers, it looks like the AL West is once again firmly in the Astros' grasp.

AL West Standings: Mariners' slump has come at the perfect time for the Astros

Seattle's offensive questions existed before the season, but losing Rodriguez for multiple weeks made those issues especially pronounced. However, Rodriguez's return hasn't exactly gotten the Mariners going at all. Since he returned on August 11, Seattle has the fifth-worst offense in baseball by fWAR and are hitting just .189 AS A TEAM over that span. Unsurprisingly, the Mariners are just 2-6 during that time, while the Astros are 7-1.

In the game of baseball, we often talk about getting hot and peaking at the right time. With the seasons being so long, it often makes sense to sort of coast for a long as you can before getting locked in the last couple months of the season and playing your best baseball in October. Houston has done this time and time again.

Assuming current trends hold, it looks like the Astros are poised to do so again. In the second half, only the Royals have been able to match Houston's pace in the wins column in the American League. As for the Mariners, not even adding Randy Arozarena at the trade deadline seems to have moved the needle, and now they may be lucky to get into the playoffs at all.

More Astros News from Climbing Tal's Hill