HOUSTON – Rangers manager Jeff Banister rattled off a list of veteran names largely responsible for Texas’ breathtaking September run to the top of the American League West, and while there are plenty of players responsible for the blitz of wins, right fielder Shin-Soo Choo stands out.

Choo continued his torrid month with a three-hit game as the Texas Rangers took a stranglehold on the division with a 6-2 victory over the spiraling Houston Astros on Friday night at Minute Maid Park.

The Rangers (84-69) won their eighth consecutive game against the Astros (80-74) and extended their lead in the division to 4 1/2 games. Houston fell to 4-13 against Texas this season and, with the division chase all but over, it has shifted their postseason hopes to fending off the Twins and Angels for the second wild card in the AL.

The Angels closed to within a half-game of the Astros with an 8-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.

Choo, who entered the series leading the AL in batting (.410), on-base percentage (.539) and walks (19) this month, finished 3-for-5 with a two-run home run in the fourth inning. The top of the Texas order laid waste to Astros left-hander Scott Kazmir (7-11), with center fielder Delino DeShields, Choo and third baseman Adrian Beltre finishing a combined 7-for-13 with four runs scored and three RBIs – all by Choo.

"Just play," Choo said. "Enjoy play, especially team situations. We are in first place. I played eight years in the big leagues, and I don’t have any experience with first place late in the season. So I really enjoyed it, and then it makes me (have a) lot of energy."

Five Texas relievers kept the Astros at bay over the final five innings, including right-hander Ross Ohlendorf (3-0), who worked between Andrew Faulkner and Jake Diekman.

To add injury to insult, the Astros lost All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve in the seventh inning when he collided with rookie shortstop Carlos Correa pursuing a popup from Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus. Altuve passed concussion protocol postgame and expressed a desire to participate in the middle game of this three-game set on Saturday.

Kazmir continued what has been a miserable month individually, succumbing to the Rangers time and again with two outs in an inning.

Beltre worked a two-out walk in the first and scored when designated hitter Prince Fielder followed with an RBI double to left-center-field.

After his throwing error in the second allowed first baseman Mitch Moreland to score on Andrus' bunt single, Kazmir surrendered a two-out triple to catcher Chris Gimenez, plunked DeShields with a pitch, and then allowed an RBI single to Choo that upped the Rangers' lead to 3-0.

Texas knocked Kazmir out for good with another two-out rally in the fourth, stringing together a DeShields double, Choo’s 19th home run, a Beltre double and a Fielder RBI single to extend the lead to 6-0.

"It (focus) has been a big part of the two-out success," Banister said. "It's been a big part of the success that we've had with runners in scoring position, but it's also been a part of the success of that pitching staff coming out of the bullpen knowing their mission and knowing what they need to do."

For Kazmir, four of his eight worst starts this season (according to the GameScore metric) unfolded in September. Friday night was his worst of the lot: Six runs on 10 hits over 3 2/3 innings.

"I felt good. I felt really good," Kazmir said. "I left a couple pitches out over the plate that hurt me. Overall, I just couldn't get it done."

Houston mustered a feeble rally against Rangers right-hander Yovani Gallardo, with first baseman Luis Valbuena following Evan Gattis' leadoff triple in the fourth with a first-pitch, two-run homer to right.

Although they managed to prevent Gallardo from being the pitcher of record by chasing him with two outs in the fifth, the Astros were just 1-for-7 against the Texas starer with runners in scoring position. They stranded 11 baserunners total in suffering their third consecutive home defeat.

"We are going to have to stay positive and push through this," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "Eight games can turn quickly. We have seen it out of this team. We have seen it out of a lot of teams where we come out of this in no time. It could start in 13 hours."

NOTES: Rangers OF Josh Hamilton participated in batting practice and is nearing a return from left knee surgery in, at minimum, a pinch-hitting role. Hamilton underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a slight meniscus tear on Sept. 11. Hamilton has been ravaged by injuries this season, posting a .253/.295/.425 line with six home runs and 21 RBIs in 42 games. ... The Astros announced 1B A.J. Reed and RHP Joe Musgrove as their Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year. Reed hit .340/.432/.612 with 34 home runs and 127 RBIs in 135 games across two levels (High A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi) while Musgrove finished 12-1 with a 1.88 ERA in 19 games (14 starts) across three levels (Class A Quad Cities, Lancaster and Corpus Christi). ... Astros CF Carlos Gomez took batting practice against team coaches in the tunnel, the first time he experienced live batting practice since being sidelined by a left intercostal strain on Sept. 12. Gomez could be used during the Rangers series as a pinch runner or defensive replacement.