Six of the next twelve games the Rangers play are against the Astros, the fourth-place team in the American League West. Houston is in fourth place only because the Angels are in the same division and they are perpetually in last. The Angels would finish second in a one-team division. 

The Astros run of dominance is over. It ended last year when they didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in eight years. It was a run where Houston won two World Series (one by cheating) and made it to the American League Championship series eight consecutive years (one by cheating).

It’s easy, and fun, to discount them, but at least they had that run. The Rangers, on the other hand, are heading for their ninth season without making the playoffs in the last ten years. Hate on Houston, but their ownership gave them a long, sustained run of excellence. Texas’s ownership gave its fans a fluke.

But this 2026 Houston team is really bad. Everybody from their glory years got old, left for free agency, or is injured. And it couldn’t happen to a more deserving team. 

That said, other than the year they cheated, you have to admire what they accomplished and feel a little pang of jealousy that the Rangers have been unable to have any kind of sustained success. 

This will be a test of who the Rangers really are. Are they for real? Do they have a shot at being a playoff caliber team? If they can’t beat the lowly Astros, it’s doubtful. 

*****