The MLB trade deadline is three days out, and the AL West remains a dead heat between the Rangers, Astros and Mariners.

With Texas holding a one-game lead over Houston for the division lead, this weekend’s series between the two should have a playoff-like aura.

The Rangers just took three of four from Seattle this week to retain their precarious claim and become odds-on favorites at DraftKings to win the division.

Houston, on the other hand, just swept the abysmal Angels, giving their front office a headache while staying in contention despite owning a minus-41 run differential, the fifth-worst in the American League. 

The Astros still lead the season series against Texas 6-4. The games have swung to both extremes of the spectrum, featuring multi-run blowouts alongside tight, late-inning finishes. 

Friday’s opener kicks off with a pair of aces on the bump: Hunter Brown and Nathan Eovaldi.

Brown pitched a no-decision in a 7-3 loss in that series where his command slipped for five walks. That’s been a big issue for the flame-thrower in his journey back from a shoulder strain, as his walk rate has almost doubled last season’s clip.

He regained some gravitas in his last start, however, twirling seven strikeouts through seven scoreless innings against the White Sox. If the Astros are going to make a run for their eighth postseason berth in 11 seasons, Brown needs to keep trending that way. Besides, the Rangers have walked the fourth-fewest times in baseball as of Friday’s games. 

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Eovaldi is showing no signs of regression in his 11th season. The two-time World Series champion has punched out at least eight batters in five of his last six games. He’s gone seven innings in both of his starts against Houston back in May, churning out a 3.21 ERA.  

THE PLAY: Under 8.5 Runs (-108, FanDuel)

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Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.