The Astros are back in New York on Saturday with a chance to keep the momentum rolling and lock down a winning road trip against the Mets.
Houston enters the day at 68-67 and has pushed its AL West lead to two games over the Texas Rangers, who sit at 66-69. That’s a notable shift from earlier in the week, when the Astros were trailing in the standings and dealing with some off-field drama after general manager Dana Brown was let go following a meeting with team owner Jim Crane.
Since then, Houston has gone 3-1 on this New York swing, and another win would give the Astros both a second straight series victory and a winning trip.
Saturday’s game is set for 3:10 p.m., with Houston sending left-hander Bennett Sousa to the mound against Mets right-hander Nolan McLean.
For the Astros, the offense still runs through Yordan Alvarez, even if he’s been just a shade quieter lately. He’s hitting .304 over his last seven games without a home run, but his season line still jumps off the page: .318/.435/.607 with 36 homers and 91 RBI. He’s also one home run shy of matching his single-season career high.
Jeremy Pena is in the lineup, but not at shortstop. Houston is giving him a day in the DH spot, though the bat remains too important to sit. Over his last seven games, he’s hit .269 with two homers and four RBI, and even with his last 15 games sitting at .167, the trend line is moving in the right direction.
Then there’s Daulton Varsho, who delivered two of Houston’s three runs in Friday’s win over the Mets. His start after the trade from Toronto was uneven, but the bat has started to come around. He’s hitting .300 in his last seven games after batting .228 over his previous 15, and while his defense is already a given, this kind of production would go a long way if the Astros are trying to keep pushing toward October.
In Other News...
Astros GM Search Suddenly Centers On One Huge Offseason Decision
The Astros offseason has taken a sharp turn with Dana Brown out as general manager, and the search for his replacement is already revealing what Houston seems to value most in the next hire. The club is reportedly looking for someone with a strong analytics background, a sign the front office wants a modern decision-maker who can help shape both the big-picture roster and the smaller edges that matter over a long season.
A.J. Hinch, the former Astros manager now running the Tigers, had his name floated in the mix, but reports say he is not interested in leaving Detroit for the GM chair. So Houston keeps moving down a list that could lead into some familiar front-office pipelines, with candidates from the Brewers, Rays, or Guardians organizations all possible fits as the Astros try to find the right voice for a pivotal offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremy Peas Slump Just Raised A Big Astros Contract Question
Jeremy Penas rise has been one of the Astros best development stories, from a strong shortstop showing in Houston to a 2025 breakthrough that included a career-high 5.7 fWAR and an All-Star nod. He looked like the kind of homegrown player who could anchor the position for years, and the natural next question around him has shifted from whether he belongs to how expensive he might become.
The issue now is timing, because Penas 2026 season has brought a noticeable dip on both sides of the ball, and that changes the conversation around his future value. He has been linked in broad terms to the kind of multi-year contract profile that Willy Adames reached, but a downturn like this can complicate free agency in a hurry, leaving the Astros to weigh the promise of his peak against what the market might think of his latest stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Just Got A Much Tougher Mets Test Tonight
The Mets will have Juan Soto back in the lineup tonight against the Astros, adding a familiar layer of difficulty for Houston as it tries to navigate another high-end opponent. Soto has been sidelined for more than a month with a left calf strain, but New York activated him off the 10-day injury list and penciled him in to hit second as the designated hitter.
For the Astros, the timing matters. Facing a Mets club that already had plenty of ways to pressure a pitching staff, Houston now has to deal with one of the sports most dangerous hitters returning to the heart of the order. New York made room for Soto by optioning infielder Eric Wagaman to Triple-A Syracuse, a move that underscores how quickly the matchup shifted before first pitch. [Read more 🡒]