Happy Wednesday, Athletics Nation!
A couple of lopsided victories took place on Tuesday on the American League side of the playoff bracket. First, the Houston Astros took the series lead back with a 9-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
The headline of the day, though, was the Texas Rangers finishing their sweep of the AL-leading Baltimore Orioles, moving them forward to the AL Championship Series. Despite the Rangers boasting the best offense and the second-best run differential in the AL (behind the Rays), their persistent bullpen problems led to a second-half dropoff that ended with them losing the AL West division title to the Astros on the last day of the regular season.