Astros Lead a Tight AL West as the Trade Deadline Nears

The state's two Major League Baseball clubs spent the final days of July jockeying for position — on the field and on the phones.

Heading into late July, the Houston Astros sat atop the American League West at roughly 58-55, holding a slim lead over the Texas Rangers and a few games up on the Seattle Mariners. With the trade deadline looming, Houston made clear it was shopping as a buyer, hunting for an outfield bat and additional starting pitching to shore up a run at October.

Rangers do modest buying

The Rangers, hovering near the edge of the wild-card race, opted to add rather than sell. Texas acquired reliever Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O'Hoppe from the Los Angeles Angels, and picked up left-handed bullpen arm Adam Macko from Toronto in a separate deal.

With Houston and Texas once again neck-and-neck, the division looks set for a familiar late-summer grind — an in-state rivalry that has come to define the AL West.

Sources: Sports Illustrated, MLB.com.