The Houston Astros open a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday night still alive in the American League postseason race but needing some help to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Houston (85-74) trails the Detroit Tigers (86-73) by one game for the final AL wild-card spot and is two games behind the Boston Red Sox (87-72) for the second wild card.

The Tigers, who are tied with Cleveland (86-73) for first place in the AL Central, finish up with a series in Boston. The Guardians, who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with Detroit, host the Texas Rangers this weekend.

The bad news for Houston is that Detroit, Cleveland and Boston all hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Astros thanks to winning the regular-season series by

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