Happy Saturday, Athletics Nation!
The Division Series officially commenced yesterday with a quartet of Game 1s throughout the day. On the American League side, both AL West teams wound up victorious against their respective opponents.
To open the ALDS, the Texas Rangers defeated the Baltimore Orioles in spite of a strong 9-strikeout outing from O’s breakout starter Kyle Bradish. Piggybacking on a solid tag-team showing from Andrew Heaney and Dane Dunning, the Rangers offense did just enough to get the win, including a couple of big hits from rookies Evan Carter and Josh Jung.
The Houston Astros followed that up with a star-driven victory over the Minnesota Twins.