Standings through 8/31

The Astros lost for the 49th time in 57 games on Friday. Here are some other terrible 57-game stretches in history for comparison:

• 1962 Mets: 11-46
• 1949 Senators: 9-48
• 1916 A's: 4-53

This is not an exhaustive list, just a snippet.

Team	W	L	GB
Houston	40	92	0
Chicago Cubs	51	80	-11.5
Minnesota	53	78	-13.5
Colorado	53	77	-14
Cleveland	55	77	-15
Miami	59	73	-19
Kansas City	59	71	-20
Toronto	60	71	-20.5
Boston	62	71	-21.5
San Diego	62	71	-21.5
NY Mets	62	70	-22
Philadelphia	63	69	-23
Seattle	64	69	-23.5
Milwaukee	63	68	-23.5
Arizona	66	67	-25.5
LA Dodgers	70	63	-29.5
LA Angels	70	62	-30
Detroit	70	61	-30.5
Pittsburgh	70	61	-30.5

Houston's magic number: 20

Eliminated from contention:

1. Washington, 8/23/12
2. Cincinnati, 8/25/12
3. Texas, 8/26/12
4. Atlanta, 8/28/12
   NY Yankees, 8/28/12
5. San Francisco, 8/29/12
6. Baltimore, 8/30/12
   Chicago Sox, 8/30/12
   Oakland, 8/30/12
7. Tampa Bay, 8/31/12
   St. Louis, 8/31/12

Today's key games:

• Cin at Hou
• SF at ChN
• Min at KC
• SD at Col
• Ari at LAN (Dodgers are eliminated with a win)
• LAA at Sea (Angels are eliminated with a win)
• ChA at Det (Detroit is eliminated with a win)
• Pit at Mil (Pittsburgh is eliminated with a win)