Zach Cole homered and drove in three runs after replacing injured slugger Yordan Alvarez in the lineup, and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 6-3 on Monday night in the opener of a pivotal three-game series.

Houston Astros 6, Texas Rangers 3: Box score | Standings

Houston (82-69) pulled within a half-game of the streaking Seattle Mariners (82-68) atop the AL West and moved three games ahead of Cleveland and Texas for the final American League wild card.

The Rangers (79-72) fell to 3 1/2 back of the Mariners in the division.

Should Mariners fans root against Astros or Rangers now?

Cole homered on the first pitch he saw in the majors Friday at Atlanta. This time, he entered after Alvarez sprained his left ankle in the first inning and launched a two-run shot off starter Jac

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