Seattle’s “magic number” to win the AL West is three. Any Mariners win or Astros loss lessens that number. Because the Mariners own the head-to-head tiebreaker with Houston, the Astros would need to gain four games in the standings to leapfrog Seattle with six games to play.

Houston is in its sports equinox season as the Astros , Texans and Rockets share the city's sports spotlight each September and October. The three-team convergence has resulted in a three-team disaster over the past 24 hours.

Here is what the MLB playoff picture looks like as each team enters a crucial series to fight for the division and Wild Card spot.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/astros as Astros Ace Predicted for Top Three Finish in American League Cy Young Award Voting. The Houston Astros are embroiled in a battle for a playoff spot in the American League with their AL West rivals, the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.

The playoff-hopeful Houston Astros did themselves a favor this week by winning their high-stakes series against the Texas Rangers, but it came at a cost.

The Seattle Mariners aim for a sweep of the Houston Astros Sunday night at Daiken Park, looking to tighten their grip on the AL West race.

For the second straight game, the Houston Astros fell to the Seattle Mariners, this time by a score of 6-4 on Saturday at Daikin Park.