With 18 games left, the Astros are in a spot where every missed chance feels a little louder. They had a real opportunity to put more daylight between themselves and the Rangers this weekend, but instead they dropped both games against the Diamondbacks.
Saturday ended 4-3 in 10 innings, and Sunday followed with a 3-2 loss in regulation. A little more offense in either game, and Houston could have been sitting on a four-game cushion.
With the tiebreaker in their favor, that would have made life a lot harder for Texas.
The biggest issue right now is simple: the bats have gone quiet. Over the last 12 games, the Astros have averaged 3.5 runs per game, and eight of those outings came with three runs or fewer. They still managed to go 7-5 in that stretch, but that kind of scoring puts a heavy load on everyone else.
The encouraging part is that the rotation has steadied some. The recent starts have been more dependable, even if the innings totals have not always been where the club would want them.
Peter Lambert went 7 innings and allowed 3 runs, with one of those runs looking like it should have been unearned after a muff by Nelson Velasquez. Ethan Pecko worked 4.1 innings and gave up 1 run, then later turned in a 5-inning outing with 2 earned runs.
Cristian Javier gave up 1 run over 5 innings. Hunter Brown allowed 2 runs in 6 innings.
Hayden Wesneski was sharp over 7 scoreless innings. Ronel Blanco also tossed 4 scoreless innings.
The staff is keeping games from getting away, and in some cases doing a very good job while they are out there.
That said, the bullpen situation is getting thinner. Steven Okert is out, hopefully only for a couple of weeks, and the workload is starting to pile up on the rest of the relief group. Blown leads can grind a team down fast, and Joe Espada has to keep finding enough reliable outs under these conditions.
Houston also needs someone - or several someones - to catch fire at the plate. Yordan Alvarez has carried a heavy load all season, and he and Jeremy Pena were the drivers of the offense for about two-thirds of the year.
Pena has gone cold lately, and Yordan has not looked quite the same even with his homer on Sunday. Jose Altuve has had his moments.
Isaac Paredes has made pitchers pay when they choose to put Yordan on base. Christian Walker could use a hot stretch, too.
His numbers are very close to what he posted last season, when plenty of people were ready to move on from him. His stronger start in 2026 has hidden some of that.
Yainer Diaz could help as well, though he is not playing every day. And yes, there is the obvious question: do they need Carlos Correa back?
That brings up the Correa situation. Depending on who you listen to, he could be back in a week or two or three.
Houston could use his bat, but there are real lineup questions that come with it. How well will he hit after missing five months?
And if he does come back swinging it well, does he take at-bats from Paredes, who has been one of the club’s better hitters?
Correa has said he is not looking to take away DH at-bats from Yordan. He has also been working out exclusively at third base, according to what the team has heard. That could open up some other possibilities, with Paredes possibly taking at-bats from Walker at first, a few from Altuve at second, and some from Yordan at DH, while Yordan gets more time in left field.
As for the schedule, Houston still has plenty in front of it. The Astros head to Philadelphia for three games, then to Tampa Bay for three, then come home for three against KC, followed by three at home against Atlanta, two at Seattle, and four wherever the A’s play these days.
The Rangers’ path looks a little easier by comparison. Houston has 6 home games and 12 road games left, while Texas is split 9 and 9.
The Astros still have to deal with the first-place Rays and Braves, plus the second-place Phillies. The Rangers’ toughest remaining opponents, at least on paper, are the third-place Red Sox and the second-place Diamondbacks.
No one really knows how this finishes. The Astros have been a surprise in both directions all year. But if they want to stay on top, they have to play better than they did over the last two games.
In Other News...
ESPN Just Threw Cold Water On Yordan Alvarezs Triple Crown Push
Yordan Alvarez has put himself squarely in the middle of the American Leagues biggest individual awards conversation, sitting atop the league in home runs, runs batted in and batting average. For Houston, that kind of all-around dominance has turned his season into a legitimate Triple Crown chase and made him a central figure in the AL MVP race, with every big night only adding to the intrigue around how far he can carry the Astros.
ESPN analyst Bradford Doolittle is still pumping the brakes on the finish line, though, projecting that Alvarez will not end the season leading any of those three categories. The competition is real in each lane, with names like Chandler Simpson, Pete Alonso and Junior Caminero all in the mix, which means Alvarez may have to do more than simply stay hot if he wants to hold off the field down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Jeff Bagwell Faces One Big Question In Astros GM Talk
Jeff Bagwells name has come up in the kind of Astros conversations that always draw attention, because any talk about the next general manager is going to circle back to someone with his stature in Houston. The franchise icon would bring instant credibility to the job, and the possibility alone says plenty about how seriously the search is being framed around the organizations future direction.
Tim Purpura, who knows the weight of the role from his own time as Astros GM, helped underline the real issue here: the job is far more than a title, and Jim Cranes involvement makes the decision even more layered. The lingering question is whether Bagwell would want the grind that comes with those daily responsibilities, or whether the fit is better in theory than in the day-to-day reality of running a clubhouse and front office. [Read more 🡒]
Yordan Alvarez Carries One Huge Astros Question Into This Road Trip
The Astros head into a crucial road trip with a little breathing room in the AL West, but not much margin for error as the offense tries to find its rhythm again. Houston has leaned on its pitching lately, and that has helped keep the division lead intact, yet the lineup has been quieter than the club would like with the postseason picture tightening and a series against the Phillies up first.
Yordan Alvarez remains central to everything Houston wants to do, even as his recent production has slipped from the pace he had set earlier in the race. Jeremy Pea has also cooled, and the dip from both bats has made the next stretch feel especially important for a team that still expects to win the division. After Philadelphia, the Astros head to Tampa Bay for another series that should draw plenty of attention, especially with Alvarez still carrying one of the biggest questions on the roster into the trip. [Read more 🡒]