Houston arrives at the last four games with the American League West still sitting on the table, but Wednesday’s 6-5 extra-inning loss in Seattle made the path narrower and more complicated. The Astros and Rangers are both 78-80, with Houston holding the season-series tiebreaker, and neither club can finish above 82 wins.
Key takeaways
- The Astros open a four-game series against the Athletics in West Sacramento on Thursday at 6:40 p.m. PT.
- Houston owns the division tiebreaker over Texas after taking the regular-season matchup.
- Peter Lambert is the only Houston starter formally listed for the opening game.
- Cristian Javier and Brice Matthews were placed on the injured list after Tuesday’s injuries in Seattle.
- Yordan Alvarez begins the final series leading the AL in batting average and sharing the home-run lead.
A division race with no room for a stumble
This has been a remarkably tight race over 158 games, even if it has not been a pretty one in the standings. Houston and Texas enter the final weekend below .500, and the division champion can do no better than 82-80. If the winner lands there, it would match the 2005 Padres for the lowest record by a division champion in the Divisional Era, which began in 1969.
The Astros still have a measure of control over their own October hopes. As first baseman Christian Walker put it, the club has an opportunity to reach the postseason and “controls part of its own destiny.” That is the kind of late-season assignment players want, even after a draining two-game stop in Seattle that required nine Houston pitchers.
Houston heads to Sutter Health Park for four games against the Athletics. Texas has one remaining game against the Mets on Thursday after New York won the first two contests of that series, then closes with three games in Minnesota. The Astros’ edge in the season series means they would have the upper hand if the clubs finish level.
Thin pitching, injury questions and Alvarez’s chase
Lambert is slated to start Thursday for Houston, opposing Athletics right-hander Mason Barnett. Lambert has posted a 3.93 ERA across three September starts, surrendering no more than three earned runs in any of them. He faced the A’s on June 5 and worked 5 1/3 innings, giving up one run despite allowing five hits and four walks.
Hayden Wesneski and Hunter Brown are the likely choices for Friday and Saturday, although Houston could adjust its plans as the division picture changes. Wesneski threw five scoreless innings against the Athletics on Aug. 21, while Brown allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings the following day.
Barnett previously worked four relief innings against Houston on June 5, permitting one hit while striking out seven. The Astros could also see Jacob Lopez, Jack Perkins and Brady Basso later in the series.
The roster took a hit in Seattle. Right-hander Cristian Javier went on the injured list with a right groin strain, and infielder Brice Matthews was sidelined by inflammation in his left knee. Neither will be available for the closing series.
Shortstop Jeremy Peña remains a day-to-day question after being struck on the right wrist by a pitch Tuesday. He appeared as a pinch-runner Wednesday but did not take the field. Manager Joe Espada said Peña was used only to run in that game, while leaving open the possibility that he could hit or play defense Thursday depending on how the wrist responds after the trip to West Sacramento. Center fielder Daulton Varsho missed a third consecutive game because of wrist soreness.
Then there is Alvarez, whose individual pursuit adds another layer to Houston’s final weekend. He went 4-for-8 against Seattle with a homer and three RBIs, carrying a .316 average into the last series. That gives him a seven-point lead in the AL batting race over Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson, the only other qualified hitter above .300.
Alvarez’s 41 homers are tied for the league lead with Ben Rice, Pete Alonso and Junior Caminero. His 102 RBIs present the steeper climb: Alonso leads with 110. Still, Houston will play in a park known for offense against an Athletics staff carrying the American League’s highest ERA at 5.43. For the Astros, the final four games will decide both a division race and whether Alvarez can push toward the first Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
