The Texas Rangers’ most crucial contest between the two Texas teams in a long time turned out to be a complete disaster. The Rangers ultimately lost against the Houston Astros 13-6 (box score) despite taking early leads of 3-0 and 5-4. The outcome of the game put the Astros and Rangers in a virtual tie for first place in the AL West, while Houston moved up to second.

The Seattle Mariners lost to the Cincinnati Reds on Monday (CIN 6, SEA 3), changing the AL West standings as follows:

Seahawks: 77–60Rockets: 78–611 GB: Rangers, 76–61

The Mariners have already won the season series and are percentage points ahead of the Astros in the standings. Given how close the race is, that would be useful. You know, the Mariners still have a ton of games left against the Astros and Rangers. (With all due respect, the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels are no longer contenders in the AL West.)

With a two-run homer in the first inning and a single home run in the fifth, Corey Seager gave the Rangers a strong start on Monday. After Jose Altuve and Mauricio Dubon hit back-to-back home runs to help the Astros rally, they took control of the game in the seventh inning. Yainer Diaz hit a three-run home run, José Abreu drew a bases-loaded walk, and Seager committed a costly two-run error.

The No. 9 and No. 1 hitters for Houston, Dubón and Altuve, also went back-to-back in the ninth inning. Texas deployed catcher Austin Hedges on the mound in the opening contest of their most significant series of the season (so far).

The Rangers have lost each of their previous three games despite holding a three-run or larger lead. They are 4-13 in their last 17 games. With 29 “meltdowns,” they have the ninth-most “meltdowns” in baseball, and their bullpen’s second-half ERA of 5.05 is the sixth highest in baseball. A meltdown is defined as a relief appearance that lowers the team’s likelihood of winning by at least 6%. Those excursions frequently end in failures.

The Astros’ victory on Monday not only sealed the season series against the Rangers but also ended a three-game losing run after being swept at home by the New York Yankees over the weekend. Given how close the AL West race (and wild-card race) are right now, they now possess the tiebreaker, which is significant.

This three-game series between the two Texas teams will continue Tuesday night. For Houston, lefty Framber Valdez (10-9, 3.38 ERA) will make his debut. The Rangers have yet to reveal their starting pitcher. To start the game, Nathan Eovaldi (11-3, 2.69 ERA) will be activated from the disabled list. Since July 18, Eovaldi has been sidelined due to an elbow problem.