AL West

The Texas Rangers may have suffered a serious loss early in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, as star third baseman Adrian Beltre was taken out after suffering a back injury following an at-bat in the third inning. 

The 2015 postseason, it's now obvious, will be a coming-out party for the Houston Astros. They are the "it" team, poised on the precipice of something special.

NEW YORK — They made it through April, and they made it through May, and as September wore down, the Houston Astros were still hanging on.

All of a sudden it was October, and the Astros were still playing. And even on a Tuesday night when Yankee Stadium finally got loud again, the young Astros were up for it.

Even in an inning and a moment guaranteed to scare, the young Astros didn't scare.

Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia has decided to return to the team next season, choosing to forgo the opt-out clause in his contract, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.

"I'm coming back," Scioscia simply said, per Fletcher.   

The Oakland Athletics aren't in the playoffs after three consecutive prior appearances, but they aren't wavering in their support of front office executives Billy Beane and David Forst.  

The Los Angeles Angels’ 2015 season came to an end Sunday when they lost to the Texas Rangers, and they immediately turned their attention to the future in the aftermath.

The first order of business for the offseason is to establish a new general manager, and late Sunday the team named Billy Eppler to the vacant position.

They say everything is bigger in Texas. This year, that includes the number of teams heading into the MLB playoffs.

The Houston Astros were a disaster in their first two years in the American League, with a combined record of 121-203 (including an abysmal 51-111 record in 2013), but they completely turned the corner this season and are heading to the playoffs.

As the Seattle Mariners begin to evaluate things to prepare for 2016, the fate of manager Lloyd McClendon remains up in the air with new general manager Jerry DiPoto. 

Continue for updates. 

DiPoto Undecided on McClendon

Saturday, Oct. 3

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, there are conflicting feelings between DiPoto and rival executives about what the future holds for McClendon in Seattle:

A disappointing season for the Seattle Mariners is ending with injury woes for star second baseman Robinson Cano, who will have offseason surgery for a sports hernia.

Continue for updates.