Astros AL West Race Getting Much Tighter

You might have sat home on a very Houston sports Sunday and thought, “Why, Houston sports? Why?” With the Texans meekly exiting a loss in Los Angeles and the Astros turning in a real gem of a stink bomb in Dallas, the vibes were positively awesome around here. For the Astros, however, things are starting to get very real, very fast. With fewer than 20 games left, this is a team that better figure it out and quick or it’s going to be a long, cold winter in Texas.

Last Week Record: 3-4
This Week Opponents: at Blue Jays (82-61), at Braves (64-79)
Current Record: 78-66 (1st in AL West – 2.5 games)

Losing our way to the top.

The Astros are 4-6 in their last 10 games, 24-22 since the All-Star break. Way back then (all seven weeks ago), they were leading the division by as many as 7 games and it felt like they were cruising to another AL West title. But, the Mariners got hot, then the Rangers got hot, then everyone starting middling around and we have a dogfight. The Astros still control their own destiny as they like to say, but that only matters if you can actually win series. Lately, not so much.

Yordan Alvarez is so back.

The good news is Alvarez is not just back, he’s BACK. Since his return, he is absolutely dismantling pitching and taking walks like he’s steroid-era Barry Bonds. It was exactly the kind of return fans had hoped for. Thus far, it hasn’t changed the Astros fortunes very much as the rest of the lineup has been anemic at best, even with this weekend’s return of Jake Meyers as well. Fortunately, the lineup the Astros hoped to have at the beginning of the year is virtually intact — perhaps even a bit better. Now, they just have to produce.

The schedule doesn’t favor the Astros.

Around the All-Star break, the Astros had one of the easiest remaining schedules in baseball. Now, with just about three weeks, it’s the second toughest of the three AL West contenders after Texas. With series against the Blue Jays, Mariners and Rangers, it’s no easy sledding. Their last six games are against the A’s and Angels, but all of those are on the road. Yikes.

This week is big. Next week is bigger.

The biggest week of the season is next week when they host the Rangers followed by the Mariners. That six-game stretch will very likely decide the division. All possibilities are on the table from the Astros extending their lead to falling into third place and out of the postseason. If you love September baseball, next week is going to be huge for the AL West.