The Astros may still be in the middle of a fight for the AL West, but the bigger individual story belongs to Yordan Alvarez. He’s putting together a massive 2026 season, and that has him sitting not just as the likely AL MVP favorite, but also in the hunt for something even rarer: the Triple Crown.
That chase is very much alive with more than a month left, but one name keeps rising as the main obstacle. According to Jared Greenspan of MLB.com, Pete Alonso is the biggest threat to Alvarez’s shot at history, especially when it comes to the RBI race.
"If Alonso has a say, Alvarez isn't going to win the AL Triple Crown," Greenspan writes. "... Alvarez is wading into uncharted territory here -- he's only had one 100-RBI season, back in 2021 -- but this is nothing new for Alonso, who has four seasons of 100-plus RBs."
The numbers show why this race is so tight. Alvarez leads the American League with 36 home runs, but that margin is slim - just one over Ben Rice and Junior Caminero, and four over Alonso. In batting average, Alvarez is in much better shape, hitting .322 compared with Chandler Simpson’s .308.
The RBI category is where things get tricky.
Alvarez and Alonso are tied at 91 RBIs, and Alonso has the kind of track record that makes him a dangerous finisher. Alvarez’s career high is 104 RBIs, set in 2021, and he’s reached 97 twice. That means he may need a new personal best just to hold off Alonso.
Alonso’s resume is loaded in that department. He drove in 120 runs as a rookie, then posted 131 RBIs in 2022, 118 in 2023 and 126 last season. Now with the Orioles, he has 91 RBIs in 133 games, and his August has been especially loud: 22 RBIs, nine homers and a 1.184 OPS.
Alvarez, by contrast, has been quieter this month. He has nine RBIs, one homer and a .918 OPS in August. His average remains strong, but the run production hasn’t matched what he’s done in the past.
So while Alvarez could still end up missing out on the home run title too, the clearest danger to his Triple Crown push is the RBI race - and Alonso is the one applying the pressure. The Orioles slugger is hot, he has the history, and he looks ready to make this a real sprint to the finish.
In Other News...
Joe Espada Just Sent Astros A Message They Cannot Ignore
With the Astros parting ways with general manager Dana Brown, the focus quickly shifted to Joe Espada and whether the shakeup in the front office would reach the dugout. It did not. Jim Crane said Espada will remain manager for the rest of the season, putting an immediate end to any short-term speculation about his status and allowing the club to stay centered on the race still in front of it.
Espada, for his part, did not sound interested in treating the news like a reprieve. He pushed the message that Houston has to play with urgency as it tries to secure a postseason berth, a reminder that the season is still very much alive even with uncertainty waiting beyond it. The contract question will wait until after the season, but the pressure on the Astros to respond right now is already here. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Turn Back To A Familiar Voice As Pitching Pressure Mounts
As the Astros try to steady a pitching staff that has been hit by both performance issues and injuries, they are turning to a familiar figure for help down the stretch. Brent Strom is returning to Houston as a pitching consultant for the rest of the season, manager Joe Espada said, and he is expected to meet the team in New York to begin working with the staff.
Strom is hardly an outsider to the organization, having previously served as the Astros pitching coach before going on to bring his experience to other teams. Bringing him back now underscores how seriously Houston is taking the strain on the mound as the divisional race tightens, with the club looking for any edge it can find during the final push. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Prospect Jason Schiavone Is Forcing A Bigger Conversation
Jason Schiavone is turning a hot stretch at Double-A Corpus Christi into something harder to ignore. He went deep twice for the second straight game, and even in a 10-9 loss to Amarillo, the power display only strengthened the sense that Houston has a prospect who is doing more than just filling out a box score. Across two levels, Schiavone has pushed his season slash line to .261/.402/.551 and now leads Astros prospects with 29 home runs.
For a system that is always looking for the next impact bat, the timing matters. Astros director of player development Sam Niedorf has already pointed to Schiavones work ethic and development as reasons for the surge, and the production is making that praise look increasingly warranted. The bigger question now is how long he can keep forcing the conversation as the season wears on, and what kind of attention that kind of power will demand next. [Read more 🡒]