Houston Jumped Texas at the Cushion Line

The Astros beat the Rangers 11-2 on July 31, turning a head-to-head playoff-race matchup into a major BaseChaser swing.

Houston took control early. LaMonte Wade Jr. doubled in the first run in the second, and Yordan Alvarez followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0.

The Astros kept adding from there. Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker homered in the fifth, Yainer Diaz added another homer in the seventh, and Jeremy Peña drove in two with a double later that inning.

Diaz finished 4-for-5 with a homer, while Peña went 3-for-5 with two RBI.

What It Means

The Astros improved to 56-55, while the Rangers fell to 55-55.

Houston has won four straight and moved ahead of Texas around the cushion line. BaseChaser now lists the Astros at 57.6%, with the Rangers at 49.2%.

That is the kind of head-to-head result that changes the middle of the playoff race quickly.

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