The Astros made a bullpen move before Sunday’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks, optioning Kai-Wei Teng to Triple-A Sugar Land and bringing up Miguel Ullola for extra relief help.
Teng’s latest outing came Saturday, when he lasted just one-third of an inning in an extra-innings loss. He allowed an earned run, issued two walks and struck out one. Over his last seven games, Teng is 1-1 with a 7.45 ERA, along with 10 strikeouts and five walks in 9.2 innings.
Ullola is back in the majors after being optioned on Aug. 19.
His most recent appearance came on Aug. 18, when he worked a scoreless inning against the Los Angeles Angels. In four MLB games, he has no decision and a 4.50 ERA with nine strikeouts and one walk.
Houston will try to wrap up a series win at 1:10 p.m. on Space City Home Network, while the Diamondbacks will carry the game on DBacks.TV. On the radio, the Astros are on KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2 and KLTN-TUDN 102.9 FM, and the Diamondbacks are on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Campesina 101.9 FM and 860 AM.
The pitching matchup sends Astros right-hander Peter Lambert (8-7, 3.66) against Diamondbacks left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (14-5, 2.59).
At 73-70, Houston still sits atop the AL West, three games ahead of the Texas Rangers, who have dropped their last two against the Tampa Bay Rays. Even after Saturday’s extra-inning loss, the Astros didn’t give up any ground and enter Sunday with a magic number of 17 to clinch a playoff berth - meaning a combination of Houston wins and Texas losses.
If the Astros get there, it would mean just a one-year absence from the postseason after a stretch from 2017-25 that included two World Series titles and four AL pennants.
Houston has Monday off, though it’s a travel day as the club heads to Philadelphia for a six-game road trip. The Astros open with three games against the Phillies, who are chasing the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, then move on to three games in St. Petersburg against the Tampa Bay Rays, who are close to locking up the AL East title.
In Other News...
Astros Bullpen Suddenly Has A Late-Inning Problem At The Worst Time
The Astros lost another important bullpen arm this week when Steven Okert went on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Sept. 1 with a right hamstring strain. Okert has been a key piece of Houstons relief mix this season, and the timing is rough for a club trying to steady late innings as the schedule tightens.
Houston now has to lean more heavily on the rest of its relief group, with AJ Blubaugh and Bennett Sousa among the pitchers expected to take on a bigger share of the load. Okert is projected to be out until at least Sept. 16, leaving the Astros to patch together some of the innings that often decide close games. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremy Pea's Slump Is Becoming A Real Astros Problem
Jeremy Pena looked like he had turned a corner in July, when he was driving the ball, getting on base and giving the Astros the kind of spark they need near the top of the lineup. He finished that month batting .381 with a .412 on-base percentage and a 1.110 OPS, and he added six home runs while looking like one of Houstons most dangerous hitters.
Since Aug. 3, though, the picture has changed sharply. Pena has batted .161 over 29 games, and the strikeouts have climbed as his overall production has faded, right as Houstons run output has also taken a step back. For a club that leans on his bat to help set the tone, the slump has become more than a rough stretch - it is starting to show up in the offense around him. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Are Making Another September Push With The West In Reach
The Astros have quietly worked their way back into the American League West picture with a stretch that looks more like October than a season fading out. A 4-2 road trip in New York and a series win over the White Sox have given Houston a sturdier foothold, and the latest ESPN September MLB power rankings reflect that uptick, placing the club No. 13 as it tries to keep pressure on the teams ahead of it.
Yordan Alvarez remains one of the leagues most dangerous hitters and still belongs in the MVP conversation, even if the home run chase has started to tilt elsewhere. For a team that has spent much of the year managing injuries and inconsistency, the bigger question now is whether this recent run is the start of a real division push or just another brief surge before the schedule turns unforgiving again. [Read more 🡒]