During weeks of hovering around .500, on the morning they dismissed their general manager, even after being swept last weekend by the AL-best Rays, the Houston Astros could point to the same silver lining: They remained in control of their postseason fate.
With seven games left in the regular season, that is no longer the case.
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As of Saturday night, after their 6-3 loss to Atlanta and the Rangers’ win over Toronto, the Astros were in second place in the American League West, a game behind Texas. They were also two games behind the Chicago White Sox for the final AL wild-card spot.
The Astros hold the tiebreaker over both clubs. But what cushion they enjoyed in recent weeks is gone. Over their final seven games, they will have to produce a better record than one of the teams ahead of them, or they will miss the playoffs for a second straight year.
“It’s not about feeling sorry for yourself or being pissed off, it’s winning every game from here on out,” first baseman Christian Walker said. “That’s the only thing that matters. Anything that doesn’t contribute to winning tomorrow we don’t have time for. It’s go time.”
At this point, the Astros’ capacity for that is arguable. They have lost nine of their past 13 games and are 77-78. Their negative-57 run differential is tied for the fifth-worst mark in the American League. A flawed division and league have kept them afloat.
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They are in peril of sinking anyway. They entered last Saturday with a three-game AL West lead. Texas has erased it by winning six of its past seven games. Both of the Astros’ wins in that span are against a Royals team in last place in the AL Central.
Time for urgency seems past. Houston will send ace Hunter Brown to the mound Sunday attempting to salvage the finale of its series against the NL East-leading Braves, whose pitching staff has held it to five runs across two games at Daikin Park. Falling anything further behind is fraught with risk.
“We have to respond well,” third baseman Isaac Paredes said through an interpreter. “We have to go out there and compete. We can’t lose the vibes, and we just have to go out there and compete and try to get the win.”
2026 ASTROS STATS
|
BATTERS |
AVG |
OBA |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
SB |
CS |
E |
|
Team Totals |
.240 |
.313 |
5201 |
686 |
1247 |
228 |
19 |
207 |
655 |
500 |
1271 |
46 |
20 |
69 |
|
Alvarez |
.312 |
.429 |
539 |
98 |
168 |
32 |
1 |
40 |
99 |
105 |
115 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
|
Allen |
.279 |
.327 |
136 |
24 |
38 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
14 |
10 |
30 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
|
Correa |
.279 |
.369 |
122 |
22 |
34 |
8 |
0 |
3 |
16 |
18 |
26 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Pena |
.276 |
.326 |
417 |
75 |
115 |
19 |
2 |
20 |
51 |
24 |
107 |
9 |
2 |
12 |
|
Diaz |
.276 |
.307 |
312 |
34 |
86 |
14 |
0 |
12 |
39 |
12 |
52 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
|
Paredes |
.261 |
.359 |
536 |
64 |
140 |
26 |
1 |
22 |
90 |
66 |
85 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
Shewmake |
.256 |
.272 |
78 |
10 |
20 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
9 |
2 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Altuve |
.247 |
.306 |
494 |
66 |
122 |
24 |
2 |
15 |
44 |
40 |
106 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
|
Delgado |
.243 |
.300 |
37 |
4 |
9 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Harris |
.226 |
.286 |
31 |
4 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Walker |
.222 |
.295 |
545 |
66 |
121 |
25 |
1 |
25 |
80 |
47 |
140 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
Loperfido |
.214 |
.311 |
103 |
13 |
22 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
12 |
14 |
32 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Meyers |
.213 |
.268 |
141 |
15 |
30 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
11 |
10 |
31 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
|
Dezenzo |
.213 |
.280 |
75 |
11 |
16 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
7 |
31 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Smith |
.210 |
.276 |
485 |
62 |
102 |
16 |
6 |
20 |
54 |
39 |
137 |
11 |
2 |
6 |
|
Wade |
.208 |
.308 |
125 |
17 |
26 |
6 |
0 |
4 |
19 |
18 |
35 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Vazquez |
.206 |
.261 |
238 |
22 |
49 |
7 |
0 |
7 |
25 |
18 |
52 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
|
Trammell |
.202 |
.290 |
242 |
29 |
49 |
10 |
2 |
8 |
22 |
26 |
85 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
|
Matthews |
.197 |
.250 |
208 |
23 |
41 |
5 |
1 |
7 |
22 |
15 |
71 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
|
Varsho |
.172 |
.224 |
151 |
12 |
26 |
4 |
1 |
5 |
14 |
10 |
36 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
Price |
.167 |
.231 |
12 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Spence |
.162 |
.244 |
37 |
4 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
15 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Cole |
.157 |
.189 |
51 |
4 |
8 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
8 |
1 |
21 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Johnson |
.143 |
.294 |
14 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Barrosa |
.143 |
.333 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Whitcomb |
.130 |
.167 |
23 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
1 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Velazquez |
.125 |
.154 |
24 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
1 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Salazar |
.056 |
.227 |
18 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
___
|
PITCHERS |
W |
L |
ERA |
G |
GS |
SV |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
HR |
BB |
SO |
|
Team Totals |
77 |
78 |
4.53 |
155 |
155 |
48 |
1374.2 |
1227 |
743 |
692 |
200 |
622 |
1345 |
|
Meyers |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Hader |
4 |
1 |
0.83 |
44 |
0 |
26 |
43.1 |
17 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
11 |
55 |
|
Santa |
0 |
1 |
1.17 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
15.1 |
8 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
9 |
|
Okert |
6 |
2 |
2.13 |
68 |
1 |
0 |
67.2 |
45 |
17 |
16 |
7 |
14 |
68 |
|
VanWey |
1 |
0 |
2.25 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
8 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
|
Brown |
6 |
3 |
3.43 |
18 |
18 |
0 |
97 |
76 |
40 |
37 |
11 |
49 |
110 |
|
Wesneski |
5 |
2 |
3.50 |
10 |
10 |
0 |
54 |
43 |
25 |
21 |
4 |
19 |
41 |
|
Pearson |
1 |
0 |
3.60 |
16 |
0 |
1 |
20 |
16 |
10 |
8 |
1 |
12 |
16 |
|
Lambert |
8 |
10 |
3.70 |
27 |
27 |
0 |
151 |
128 |
64 |
62 |
15 |
57 |
147 |
|
Blubaugh |
5 |
3 |
3.70 |
61 |
0 |
1 |
92.1 |
75 |
40 |
38 |
13 |
40 |
92 |
|
Pecko |
1 |
0 |
3.77 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
28.2 |
20 |
13 |
12 |
5 |
12 |
19 |
|
Abreu |
6 |
4 |
3.88 |
64 |
0 |
8 |
60.1 |
42 |
28 |
26 |
9 |
40 |
79 |
|
Ullola |
0 |
0 |
4.15 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
8.2 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
10 |
|
Arrighetti |
7 |
5 |
4.60 |
17 |
17 |
0 |
88 |
68 |
47 |
45 |
12 |
50 |
87 |
|
Teng |
5 |
7 |
4.76 |
30 |
10 |
0 |
73.2 |
69 |
43 |
39 |
10 |
33 |
73 |
|
King |
3 |
5 |
4.78 |
57 |
1 |
6 |
58.1 |
63 |
35 |
31 |
8 |
21 |
46 |
|
From Los Santos |
3 |
3 |
4.79 |
66 |
0 |
5 |
71.1 |
69 |
43 |
38 |
11 |
20 |
67 |
|
Imai |
6 |
4 |
5.13 |
21 |
15 |
0 |
73.2 |
58 |
42 |
42 |
9 |
51 |
92 |
|
Roa |
0 |
1 |
5.19 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
8.2 |
10 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
7 |
6 |
|
Sousa |
1 |
3 |
5.27 |
32 |
1 |
0 |
27.1 |
30 |
18 |
16 |
4 |
16 |
27 |
|
Javier |
2 |
6 |
5.31 |
16 |
11 |
0 |
61 |
63 |
36 |
36 |
10 |
26 |
57 |
|
Bolton |
0 |
1 |
5.40 |
8 |
3 |
1 |
20 |
21 |
12 |
12 |
3 |
14 |
22 |
|
Burrows |
4 |
9 |
5.99 |
18 |
17 |
0 |
94.2 |
112 |
69 |
63 |
21 |
35 |
75 |
|
McCullers |
2 |
3 |
6.86 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
39.1 |
38 |
32 |
30 |
7 |
22 |
43 |
|
White |
0 |
1 |
7.11 |
7 |
5 |
0 |
31.2 |
30 |
25 |
25 |
9 |
15 |
26 |
|
Murray |
0 |
0 |
7.43 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
13.1 |
19 |
11 |
11 |
1 |
7 |
8 |
|
Weiss |
0 |
3 |
7.62 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
26 |
35 |
24 |
22 |
8 |
20 |
30 |
|
France |
0 |
0 |
8.10 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
6.2 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
|
Salazar |
0 |
0 |
9.00 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Alexander |
1 |
1 |
9.33 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
18.1 |
21 |
19 |
19 |
4 |
8 |
14 |
|
Gordon |
0 |
0 |
11.57 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
9.1 |
21 |
12 |
12 |
6 |
3 |
11 |
|
Munoz |
0 |
0 |
15.75 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
3 |
6 |
6 |
|
Wade |
0 |
0 |
18.00 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Finding sources of offense in the final seven games seems imperative. Saturday marked the 24th time in 42 games since the trade deadline the Astros scored three or fewer runs. Only the Angels, who own the AL’s worst record, have scored fewer runs than Houston in that stretch.
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Saturday, the Astros totaled 10 hits. But they took just five at-bats with a runner in scoring position and scored two hits in them. Paredes had one, a run-scoring single in the third inner, as well as a solo home run. Yainer Diaz struck the other, a two-out RBI double in the eighth.
Diaz’s double brought the potential tying run to the plate. With left-hander Dylan Lee on the mound for Atlanta, manager Joe Espada pulled back Daulton Varsho and pinch-hit Nelson Velázquez, who is on the roster to face left-handed pitching. Velázquez struck out, ending the Astros’ last threat.
Varsho, the team’s lone trade deadline addition, is batting .172 since the move and has three hits in his past 32 at-bats. Walker snapped an 0-for-23 drought with two hits Saturday but still has a .566 OPS since the All-Star break. Cam Smith has a .664 OPS in that same stretch. Jose Altuve’s is .687.
Jeremy Peña, Yordan Alvarez, Paredes and Diaz all have an OPS above .800 since the break. But the lack of lineup depth is reflected in Houston’s inability to harness any offensive consistency. It’s averaging 3.3 runs per game in September.
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“They’ve had some good pitchers out there, they’ve executed some good pitches and we haven’t been able to adjust,” Paredes said. “But that’s something that’s going to come our way soon.”
Patience must be running thin. Porous offense is undermining a pitching staff that has shown signs of stabilizing. Of the Astros’ 19 wins since the trade deadline, 15 are by three or fewer runs, a repeated formula that has required them to rely heavily on a bullpen operating without a key piece.
It recurred Saturday. Houston took a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning. Hayden Wesneski’s first three hitters reached, paring the lead to 2-1 and leading Espada to turn to his bullpen. The state of its offense makes it imperative to try to preserve any late edge.
Bennett Sousa did so in the sixth. For the seventh, Espada deployed AJ Blubaugh, the rookie who has logged more relief innings than any other pitcher in the majors this season. His bullpen is missing key setup man Steven Okert and still needed three outs to reach Bryan Abreu.
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Blubaugh recorded one before allowing two singles and a walk to Atlanta’s No, 9 hitter. That pressed Abreu into the game with the bases loaded and one out. He struck out leadoff man Drake Baldwin, but Ronald Acuña Jr. blasted a fastball 411 feet to left-center field for a game-turning grand slam.
Blubaugh has been scored upon in five of his last seven outings. Abreu has allowed a costly home run in two of his past four appearances. The bullpen has a 4.92 ERA since Aug. 15. Given the workload Houston has asked of key relievers, it seems fair to wonder if those innings are catching up.
“The stuff is still good, the bike is still good, the execution is there,” Espada said. “Those guys continue to be reliable and continue to be really good. Today was one of those days that didn’t go our way. But those are our guys and I trust them and I’m going to continue to give them the ball.”
No other option is apparent. Time to tinker with a flawed roster has elapsed. The Astros no longer control their playoff hopes, but they are still in a position to realize them. Seven games remain to show they can.
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“We have to start winning a couple of games in a row, starting with tomorrow,” Espada said. “We’ve got the right guy on the mound, and we have to really bounce back and get this one tomorrow.”
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This article originally published at Houston Astros no longer control their playoff fate. Can they save the season before it slips away?.
