WEST SACRAMENTO -- The American League West race will come down to the final day of the regular season.
The Astros slammed five home runs, including from two from Jeremy Peña and a three-run blast by Yordan Alvarez in the fifth inning that broke the game open, and rode seven strong innings from Hayden Wesneski to crush the A’s, 13-2, on Saturday night at Sutter Health Park and keep pace with the Rangers atop the AL West standings.
The Astros and the Rangers, who beat the Twins earlier Saturday, are both 80-81 entering Sunday’s 162nd game, but Houston has the tiebreaker because it won the season series over its Lone Star State rivals.
That means the Astros can win the division with either a victory over the A’s on Sunday or a Rangers loss to the Twins. Texas needs to beat Minnesota on Sunday and have the A’s beat the Astros to win the division. If both teams lose, the Astros win the division.
The AL West champion will play host to the White Sox in the Wild Card Series, beginning Tuesday.
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The pressure was on the Astros by the time Saturday’s game started, with the Rangers having already beaten the Twins, 6-2, to move a half-game ahead. Isaac Paredes put the Astros on top with a solo homer in the first inning, and Peña swatted a two-run homer in the third for a 3-0 lead.
Alvarez, who’s closing in on the AL batting title and will end the regular season as the favorite to win AL Most Valuable Player, clubbed his 42nd homer of the season in the fifth to stretch the lead to 6-1. The 42 homers are tied for the fifth-most in a single season in Astros history, and put Alvarez one behind Baltimore’s Pete Alonso for the AL lead.
The Astros scored three times in both the seventh and eighth innings, and were able to rest their high-leverage relievers for Sunday, including AJ Blubaugh, Bryan Abreu and closer Josh Hader. Houston has not announced a starting pitcher for Sunday’s regular-season finale.
Wesneski held the A’s to two runs (one earned) and six hits in seven innings to finish the regular season with a 6-2 record and a 3.25 ERA after coming back from Tommy John surgery.