The Houston Astros clinched their third consecutive American League West title with a 13-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon:

George Springer clubbed three homers, and Justin Verlander notched his league-best 20th win of the season.

The Astros kept pace with the New York Yankees for the most wins in baseball (102), and they have the best winning percentage (.654) and run differential (+265).

A slew of injuries have not stopped Houston from dominating just about everyone in its path. Although the likes of Springer, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Ryan Pressly and others have all spent significant time on the injured list, the Astros have gotten massive contributions from Yordan Alvarez and Yuli Gurriel in addition to free-agent signing Michael Brantley.

Meanwhile, Alex Bregman is posing a challenge to Mike Trout for American League MVP. Bregman led the MLB in fWAR and wRC+ in August, and he has been a steady killer in Houston's lineup.

Of course, the Astros also owe a good deal of their success to the sensational performances from both Verlander and Gerrit Cole. The two aces lead the AL in almost every major statistical pitching category, and they seem to be engaging in their own personal duel for AL Cy Young.

Houston improved its second-half record to 45-21, outscoring opponents by nearly 170 runs since the All-Star break. Though there are still concerns with respect to the back half of their rotation, the Astros will undoubtedly be an imposing foe in October as they look to capture their second World Series title in the last three years.