Family of Angel Cory Rasmus, Astro Colby Rasmus, is a house divided

What’s good for one Rasmus brother this week has not been good for the other.

Houston outfielder Colby Rasmus has hit .444 (eight for 18) with four home runs and eight runs batted in to help the Astros go 5-1 in their last six games and build a one-game lead over the Angels for the American League’s second wild-card spot entering the final day of the regular season.

That performance has helped push the Angels and reliever Cory Rasmus to the brink of playoff elimination. The Angels need to beat the Texas Rangers on Sunday, and they need Houston to lose to Arizona to force a one-game tiebreaker on Monday to determine the final playoff entrant.

Cory Rasmus said he “hasn’t even talked to” Colby this past week, but he has kept close tabs on his brother, as have others in the Angels’ clubhouse.

“He’s been hot,” Cory Rasmus said. “I’ve been watching every at-bat he has, and lot of guys in here have been picking on me: ‘Tell your brother to cool down a little bit!’ But he’s playing hard. He’s a gamer, always has been. I don’t expect anything less out of him.

“We’re all trying to win. I can’t give him a hard time for going out there and doing what he does, so I’m happy for him and proud of him. But obviously, I want our team to have a chance of getting to the playoffs, so it’s kind of a double-edge sword.”

Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna