The Houston Astros are getting hot at the right time. Real hot.

Jose Abreu drove in seven runs on a pair of home runs—including a grand slam—to lead Houston to a 12-3 victory over Texas in Arlington on September 6th. The win completed a three game sweep over the Rangers, and propelled the Astros into 1st place in the American League West, one game ahead of the Mariners and three ahead of the Rangers.

The 12 runs in Game 3 were the fewest the Astros scored in the series. They took Game 1 13-6 and Game 2 14-1. The Astros bats were on fire the entire series, especially in terms of the home run ball, hitting a franchise record 16 for a three game series. Jose Altuve hit a pair of homers in Game 1 and three in Game 2. Light hitting (.189) backup catcher Martin Maldonado hit two homers in Game 2, good for four RBIs. Abreu didn’t hit a homer in Game 2, but still drive in three runs. Utility man Maurico Dubon, another light hitter (.200) hit a pair of homers in Game 2.

And Houston did this damage against some pretty good Texas pitchers. Nathan Eovaldi, returning from a six week stint on the injured list, lasted just 1 1/3 innings in Game 2, and allowed four earned runs. Eovaldi was relieved by another starter, Dane Dunning, who has struggled lately. Dunning allowed nine earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. In Game 3, Max Scherzer allowed seven earned runs in three innings pitched. His former teammate on the Mets, Justin Verlander, picked up the victory for Houston.

After leading the division for much of the season, the Rangers have been in a tailspin recently, and are 4-15 over their last 19 games. They are ½ game out of the last Wild Card in the American League after completion of games of September 6th. They’ve completed play against the Astros for the regular season, but seven of their last 10 games are with the Seattle Mariners, which could be very important for the post season hopes of both clubs. But if the Rangers don’t get it together real soon, it may not matter in their case.

Here’s some highlights of Game 2 of the series on September 5th: