Browsing: Astros

Sep 30, 2025, 05:02 PM ET

HOUSTON — Instead of getting ready for a playoff game Tuesday, Houston Astros manager Joe Espada and general manager Dana Brown were fielding questions about their job security and what went wrong this season.

“I am the GM of the Astros,” Brown said in response to a question about his contract status. “And that’s what I would expect to be tomorrow and the next day and the next day.”

Brown was then asked about the future of Espada, who just completed his second season as manager.

“Look, I’ve made it very clear that Joe is the manager,” Brown said. “Joe is under contract.”

Out of the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the Astros already are looking for ways to ensure that their postseason absence is a one-year aberration. Missing out this season ends a remarkable run in which they made seven straight trips to the AL Championship Series from 2017-23, before losing in the AL Wild Card Series last year. During that stretch, they won four pennants and the World Series in 2017 and 2022.

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This season was marred by injuries, most notably to star slugger Yordan Alvarez, who was limited to 48 games because of a broken hand and an ankle injury. Houston’s other significant injury in the lineup was to third baseman Isaac Paredes, who missed about two months with a hamstring problem.

Those injuries were a significant blow to a team that lost two of its top players this offseason when third baseman Alex Bregman signed in free agency with the Boston Red Sox and outfielder Kyle Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs.

“Make no mistake, when you take pillars out of your lineup, it’s gonna affect your team, it’s going to affect some of their at-bats,” Brown said. “When Yordan Alvarez is in the lineup, you have to pitch guys around him differently. So, I think the absence of Yordan really affected us big-time.”

Along with missing Alvarez and Paredes, the Astros dealt with injuries to their pitching staff, with Ronel Blanco having Tommy John surgery in May and Spencer Arrighetti missing four months after breaking his thumb in a freak accident. The bullpen was dealt a major blow when six-time All-Star closer Josh Hader sustained a shoulder injury that kept him out the last two months of the season.

Despite this, the Astros were still in position to win the AL West for a fifth straight season and were tied with Seattle for the lead late in the year. A sweep by the Mariners at home from Sept. 19-21 all but ended that chance, but they remained in contention for a wild-card spot. Then they lost three of their next four games to the Athletics and Angels and were eliminated on the second-to-last day of the season.

“This is going to put a chip on our shoulders,” Espada said. “We are a postseason team. We are built to play in October and it was disappointing that we’re not playing today. I’m not happy about it, but also we are learning from things that we could have done better, how can we improve our club and our players are hungry to get back to spring training and playing.”

Espada said he’s in the process of evaluating everything right now, including his staff moving forward. He said that evaluation extends to himself as he looks for ways to do more next season.

“I would not be helping this organization if I’m not holding myself accountable,” he said. “Because at the end of the day I’m the manager of this team and I’m responsible for what goes on in that clubhouse. So, I care about that deeply. I care about the organization and I care about putting the best product on the field, because our fans expect us to win, and I take that very seriously.”

The Astros will look to upgrade their rotation this offseason after focusing on bolstering their offense at the trade deadline by bringing Carlos Correa back and adding Jesus Sanchez and Ramon Urias. Brown said they’ll have talks with right-hander Framber Valdez, who is a free agent after spending his entire eight-year career with the Astros. But regardless of what happens with him, Brown said they plan to be in the market to add guys to their rotation.

Though Brown said he would look at all avenues to try to improve the team, he feels pretty good about the guys who already are here.

“Right now, our roster is put together very well,” he said. “I think we have a really good team. If we stay healthy, we will for sure be back in the dance in October.”

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For the first time since 2016, the Houston Astros will be watching the postseason from home.

In a sport where repeating as World Series champions is something no team has done since the 2000 New York Yankees, the Astros’ run of success is as close to a dynasty as we’ve seen in the last 25 years.

Not only did they make eight straight playoff appearances, they reached the ALCS seven times, the World Series four times and hoisted the trophy twice.

Now it’s over, and the next move for the front office should be stripping the roster to the studs and shifting their focus to the future at the cost of the present.

The Astros were officially eliminated from postseason contention on Saturday when the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers both won to move one game ahead of them in the standings with tie-breakers in hand.

It has been a trying season filled with injuries, as Yordan Alvarez, Josh Hader, Isaac Paredes and Jake Meyers all missed significant stretches, while the starting rotation was a revolving door behind the one-two punch of Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez.

In that sense, you might be able to convince yourself that this team could be right back in the thick of things with better health next year, but age is not on their side and free agency looms large this winter.

They already shipped out Kyle Tucker ahead of his contract year during the offseason, and while Cam Smith has flashed some potential as the key return piece in that trade, he slumped badly in the second half.

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Left-hander Valdez is set to hit the open market, and after relying on the likes of Ryan Gusto, Colton Gordon, Jason Alexander, Brandon Walter and Hayden Wesneski to start a combined 56 games, his potential departure would only create more questions in what was already an unstable staff.

Jose Altuve (35 years old) and Carlos Correa (31 years old) will earn a combined $65.8 million next season, while Christian Walker (34 years old) still has two years and $40 million left on his contract after a disappointing Astros debut. The Twins are paying $27.6 million of Correa’s 2026 salary, but the Astros are on the hook for $20.5 million in 2027 and $20 million in 2028.

Outside of 27-year-old ace Hunter Brown and 28-year-old Alvarez, it’s hard to point at anyone on the roster as a true building block, and more big free agency decisions await in the coming years.

Bullpen ace Bryan Abreu is gone after the 2026 season, while Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes and Jake Meyers are all free agents after the 2027 season.

Now is the time to decide if they are going to try to lock up more of those players to try to stay in the thick of the AL West race, or if they want to start shopping them on the trade market to bolster their farm system.

That brings us to the argument for a full-scale rebuild.

Not only is the MLB roster aging and lacking in foundational talent, but the talent pipeline has dried up, with the farm system checking in at No. 27 in our final rankings of the season.

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Infielder Brice Matthews (40 PA, .143 BA, 64 OPS+) and outfielder Jacob Melton (74 PA, .149 BA, 13 OPS+) are the headliners, but both struggled in their first taste of the majors, and neither currently appears on the Baseball AmericaTop 100 list, which is absent anyone from the Houston organization.

The time is now to start addressing that weakness by stockpiling young talent with an eye on the future. Shopping guys like Peña, Paredes, and perhaps even Brown could be the start of a fire sale that provides a much-needed reset to an organization that had found sustainable success for nearly a decade on the other side of its last rebuild.

After reaching the 2005 World Series, the Astros slogged through years of mediocrity before finally committing to a rebuild, ultimately missing the playoffs nine years in a row before they returned in 2015. If they pull the trigger faster this time around, they might be able to avoid some pain in the long run.

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For the first time since 2016, the Houston Astros will be watching the postseason from home.

In a sport where repeating as World Series champions is something no team has done since the 2000 New York Yankees, the Astros’ run of success is as close to a dynasty as we’ve seen in the last 25 years.

Not only did they make eight straight playoff appearances, they reached the ALCS seven times, the World Series four times and hoisted the trophy twice.

The Astros were officially eliminated from postseason contention on Saturday when the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers both won to move one game ahead of them in the standings with tie-breakers in hand.

It has been a trying season filled with injuries, as Yordan Alvarez, Josh Hader, Isaac Paredes and Jake Meyers all missed significant stretches, while the starting rotation was a revolving door behind the one-two punch of Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez.

In that sense, you might be able to convince yourself that this team could be right back in the thick of things with better health next year, but age is not on their side and free agency looms large this winter.

They already shipped out Kyle Tucker ahead of his contract year during the offseason, and while Cam Smith has flashed some potential as the key return piece in that trade, he slumped badly in the second half.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Left-hander Valdez is set to hit the open market, and after relying on the likes of Ryan Gusto, Colton Gordon, Jason Alexander, Brandon Walter and Hayden Wesneski to start a combined 56 games, his potential departure would only create more questions in what was already an unstable staff.

Jose Altuve (35 years old) and Carlos Correa (31 years old) will earn a combined $65.8 million next season, while Christian Walker (34 years old) still has two years and $40 million left on his contract after a disappointing Astros debut.

Outside of 27-year-old ace Hunter Brown and 28-year-old Alvarez, it’s hard to point at anyone on the roster as a true building block, and more big free agency decisions await in the coming years.

Bullpen ace Bryan Abreu is gone after the 2026 season, while Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes and Jake Meyers are all free agents after the 2027 season.

Now is the time to decide if they are going to try to lock up more of those players to try to stay in the thick of the AL West race, or if they want to start shopping them on the trade market to bolster their farm system.

That brings us to the argument for a full-scale rebuild.

Not only is the MLB roster aging and lacking in foundational talent, but the talent pipeline has dried up, with the farm system checking in at No. 27 in our final rankings of the season.

Scott Marshall/Getty Images

Infielder Brice Matthews (40 PA, .143 BA, 64 OPS+) and outfielder Jacob Melton (74 PA, .149 BA, 13 OPS+) are the headliners, but both struggled in their first taste of the majors, and neither currently appears on the Baseball AmericaTop 100 list, which is absent anyone from the Houston organization.

The time is now to start addressing that weakness by stockpiling young talent with an eye on the future. Shopping guys like Peña, Paredes, and perhaps even Brown could be the start of a fire sale that provides a much-needed reset to an organization that had found sustainable success for nearly a decade on the other side of its last rebuild.

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Sep 28, 2025, 01:46 AM ET

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Houston Astros’ streak of eight consecutive playoff appearances ended Saturday night in the second inning of their 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

The Astros took the field at Angel Stadium with a glimmer of hope, as the Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers were tied going into the ninth inning at Progressive Field.

But with Christian Walker at the plate in the top of the second in Anaheim, Guardians outfielder C.J. Kayfus was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to give Cleveland a 3-2 win over the Rangers, clinching the final American League playoff berth for the Guardians and eliminating the Astros.

This will be the first time the Astros (86-75) miss the postseason since 2016. They made seven straight trips to the AL Championship Series from 2017-23, winning four pennants and a pair of World Series titles (2017 and 2022) during that stretch.

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In fact, Sunday’s season finale against the Angels will be only the fourth game since the start of the 2015 season in which the Astros will be out of playoff contention.

“I want to apologize to the fans in Houston for falling short. It’s not what they’re accustomed to,” Astros infielder Carlos Correa said. “They’re used to watching playoff baseball, and they look forward to that every single year.

“We were not able to accomplish that this year, but we promise our fans in Houston that this offseason is going to be one of a lot of hard work. We’re going to get better, and next year is going to be one to remember.”

Houston began the season without two of its best players from 2024, as third baseman Alex Bregman signed a free-agent deal with the Boston Red Sox and outfielder Kyle Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs.

The Astros lost their top slugger, Yordan Alvarez, to injuries for much of the season and several other key players — closer Josh Hader, shortstop Jeremy Peña and third baseman Isaac Paredes among them — to injuries down the stretch.

Houston was still in the hunt for a fifth straight AL West title, tied with Seattle entering a big three-game series against the Mariners on Sept. 19. But the Astros were swept at home by Seattle and lost two more games to the Athletics — they did not hold a lead in any of the five consecutive losses — to fall five games back in the division race.

They had a chance to pull into a three-way tie with the Guardians and Detroit Tigers on Friday night, but failed to hold an early 3-0 lead and lost 4-3 to the Angels to remain a game behind the two AL Central teams.

Cleveland and Detroit both hold tiebreakers over Houston, so the Astros needed to win their final two games and have either the Guardians or Tigers lose their last two to extend their playoff streak. But then Cleveland and Detroit both won on Saturday to punch their tickets to the postseason.

“That’s a meeting, that’s a conversation that you don’t want to have with your team,” Houston manager Joe Espada said of his postgame address to the club. “This is my eighth season, and this has never happened. But it happened today.

“I told this team I’m really proud of them, because we’ve gone through a lot. We have guys who have no business being on the field right now, who are banged-up, but they’re playing through pain, through injuries, because they want it for our city, they want it for their teammates, and that’s the heart of a champion, right?”

Walker, who hit two solo homers Saturday night, believes Houston’s absence from the postseason will be an aberration, not the start of a downward spiral for the franchise.

“This stinks. It hurts, for sure. We poured a lot of energy and emotion, and blood, sweat and tears into the season,” Walker said. “I felt like with this team, there’s a lot of special moments that could happen in this room, so it sucks not to be able to show that on the postseason stage.

“There were some unfortunate injuries and things that happened along the way, but that’s part of it. Good teams find a way, and we almost did. We were close but not good enough. But even with the lineup and the roster we have, I think this group can win a World Series, for sure.”

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ANAHEIM — One of the most successful runs in baseball history ended Saturday afternoon when the final score from Cleveland was displayed on the scoreboard at Angel Stadium: Guardians 3, Rangers 2. The Astros†eight-year streak of postseason appearances ended during their 161st game of the 2025 season, with the Guardians locking up the final postseason spot in the American League.

The Astros knew their chances of playing into October were slim after they blew a three-run lead to the Angels in Fridayâ€s series opener, but the reality of elimination swept swiftly through the first-base dugout in the second inning of Saturdayâ€s 6-1 win. For the first time since 2016, the Astros wonâ€t participate in the playoffs.

“I think we are all disappointed and sad about it,†said second baseman Jose Altuve, whoâ€s been a part of the entire run. “We tried to fight to the last day. We had some chances before todayâ€s game and it didnâ€t happen. Not a good feeling.â€

It was a remarkable run of perseverance and excellence, with no shortage of thrilling moments and champagne celebrations. It was a stretch of dominance Astros fans might not see again in their lifetimes, spanning three managers and general managers.

Astros manager Joe Espada addressed the team after the game in a quiet clubhouse and said he was proud of their effort and excited for the future.

“Thatâ€s the meeting, thatâ€s the conversation you donâ€t want to have with your team,†he said. “I told this team Iâ€m really proud of them because we have gone through a lot. We got guys that have no business being on the field right now, banged up injury-wise. But theyâ€re playing through pain and through injuries just because they want it for our city, they want it for their teammates. Thatâ€s the heart of a champion right there.â€

Houstonâ€s eight consecutive playoff appearances (2017-24) comprised the fourth-longest run in Major League history. The Astros played 99 postseason games in that span, winning two World Series championships, four American League pennants, made seven consecutive trips to the ALCS (2017-23) and captured seven AL West division titles in eight seasons.

Carlos Correa, who helped launch Houstonâ€s glory years as a rookie in 2015 and returned this season in a July trade, said he wanted to apologize to the fans in Houston for not having postseason baseball.

“It’s not what they’re accustomed to,†he said. “They’re used to watching playoff baseball and they look forward to that every single year. It’s a beautiful time of the year in Houston. We were not able to accomplish that this year, but we promise our fans in Houston this offseason is going to be one of a lot of hard work. We’re all going to get better. Next year will be one to remember.”

After being swept in the Wild Card round by the Tigers last year, the Astros traded star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs and lost star third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency, but still were the favorites to win the West. The club began dealing with injuries early in the season and they didnâ€t step, depleting the teamâ€s depth.

The Astros had 28 players land on the IL this year, including eight players with multiple stints. At one point they had 18 players on the injured list, including three-fifths of their starting rotation to begin the season. Along the way, they lost Yordan Alvarez 100 games with a broken bone in his hand and for the final 11 games with a sprained ankle.

“If weâ€re healthy and I know that you look at the rosters, thereâ€s places we could address and make our roster better,†Espada said. “Weâ€ll work through that. But the heart and the foundation and what makes this team really good is still in the clubhouse, and as long as we have that culture that itâ€s about us, not one player, weâ€re going to find ourselves in a really good spot for many years to come.â€

Three of Houstonâ€s four 2025 All-Stars — shortstop Jeremy Peña, third baseman Isaac Paredes and closer Josh Hader — missed significant time with injuries. Peña was out 27 games in July with a rib fracture and missed his sixth game in a row Saturday with an oblique strain. Paredes missed 54 games with a hamstring strain and Hader missed the final 46 games with a shoulder capsule strain.

“Good teams find a way anyway,†said first baseman Christian Walker, who clubbed two homers Saturday. “We almost did. We were close, but not good enough.â€

The injuries caught up with the Astros in the second half of the season. After sweeping the Dodgers in Los Angeles in early July to improve to 55-35 and open up a seven-game lead in the AL West, the Astros went 30-40 in their next 70 games, including a three-game sweep to the Mariners last weekend that lost the division. They led the AL West for 109 games, but couldnâ€t finish it off.

“You win 86 games and without a lot of our main guys, but at the same time we won 86 games because some of our young players carried us to this point,†Espada said. “That tells you the character and the talent that we have in the organization. But this really sucks, man. This is not what you go to Spring Training for. Expectations are high, but this is where weâ€re at. Weâ€ll overcome that and get back to work.â€

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Sep 27, 2025, 10:14 PM ET

CLEVELAND — Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said in the midst of Cleveland’s 10-game losing streak in early July that things would turn around.

Vogt ended up selling his team a little short, as the Guardians made one of the biggest turnarounds in baseball history.

Cleveland clinched a postseason spot in fittingly improbable fashion. CJ Kayfus was hit in the arm by a fastball from Texas Rangers reliever Robert Garcia with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning Saturday night, scoring Petey Halpin with the winning run to give the Guardians a 3-2 victory that put them in the playoffs.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time since at least 1920 that a team won on a walk-off hit by pitch to clinch a postseason spot.

“When they walked [Gabriel] Arias [to load the bases], I knew I had a job to do. I knew I was going to get that job done one way or another, but I definitely didn’t think it was going to be like that,” said Kayfus, who was called up from the minors in early August.

The Guardians (86-74) became the fourth major league team and first in the American League to reach the postseason after having a 10-game losing streak, joining the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers, 1982 Atlanta Braves and 1951 New York Giants.

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“It’s exactly us. Of course, we’re going to get in on a walk-off hit by pitch,” a champagne-soaked Vogt said in the clubhouse as his team was celebrating. “Just to stop and think about where we came from to get here. There’s no words. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys. They’ve earned every bit of this.”

According to FanGraphs, the Guardians had a 2.9% chance to make the postseason and a 0.2% chance to win the AL Central on Sept. 1.

Cleveland remains tied with Detroit for the division lead after the Tigers also wrapped up a postseason spot Saturday with a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

If Cleveland and Detroit are tied after Sunday’s games, the Guardians would win the AL Central due to an 8-5 advantage in the season series. They would host a wild-card series starting Tuesday.

Even though Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez have been the Guardians’ offensive stalwarts all year, others have picked up the slack in September.

Johnathan Rodriguez, called up Wednesday after David Fry was hit in the face by a pitch Tuesday night, hit a two-run homer in the first inning to put the Guardians up 2-1. It was the first at-bat for Rodríguez, who had a .167 average in 29 big league games, since he was called up for his third stint this season.

“They showed me the lineup last night and I showed it to my wife. She said just to play like you did at Triple-A,” Rodriguez said.

On Wednesday, the Guardians became the first major league team to overcome a deficit of 15½ games and take the lead in either division or league play with a 5-1 win over the Tigers. Cleveland was 40-48 and also 6½ games out of a wild-card spot on July 6 after a 7-2 loss in 10 innings to the Tigers extended the losing streak to 10.

Since July 7, the Guardians are an AL-best 47-26.

The 1914 Boston Braves were 15 games back in the National League on July 4 and rallied to win by 10½ games, according to Elias. Since baseball went to division play in 1969, the biggest deficit overcome was 14 games by the 1978 New York Yankees to win the AL East.

On Sept. 4, the Guardians were 69-70 and 11 games behind the Tigers before going 15-1, including a 10-game winning streak that included a three-game sweep in Detroit. It is the largest September lead overcome to tie or take the lead in the division or league, according to Elias. The previous mark was 8½ games by the 1964 St. Louis Cardinals and 1964 Cincinnati Reds.

Cleveland found its way back to the postseason despite reliever Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz being placed on non-disciplinary leave in July as part of investigations into their possible involvement in gambling during games. Ortiz was placed on leave July 3 and Clase on July 28.

“I give our players and coaches and staff and [Vogt] a ton of credit because it was a really hard mountain to climb to make this a reality,” Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “There were obviously times during the season where this looked really far away, and our group was never daunted by that. They showed up each day with the same energy, the same focus, the same intensity, to try to figure out a way to win a game that night, and that mindset’s really carried us forward to today.”

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ANAHEIM — Things couldnâ€t have worked out much better for the Astros than they did to begin Friday night, with the Tigers and Guardians both losing, giving Houston the help it needed in its last-gasp push for an American League Wild Card spot. All the Astros had to do was take care of business against the last-place Angels.

What wound up playing out at Anaheim Stadium was fitting for a team that hasnâ€t had much go its way this season. An early three-run lead had Houston sitting in a good spot before Mike Trout clubbed a pair of solo homers to help the Angels storm back and send the Astros to a devastating 4-3 loss that pushed them to the brink of elimination.

There is no more wiggle room: The Astros need to win their last two games and have either the Tigers or Guardians lose out to make the playoffs.

“It was a must-win game for us, definitely,†shortstop Carlos Correa said. “Thatâ€s how we were approaching it and we just didnâ€t get the job done. Itâ€s not over yet. It looks very uphill, but weâ€ve still got to go tomorrow and keep the same mentality and go out there and win. We have to keep an eye out for the other games.â€

The Astros†run of eight consecutive playoff berths could be over before they even get a chance to play tomorrow, with the Red Sox and Tigers scheduled to play at 3:10 p.m. CT — more than five hours before the scheduled first pitch Saturday in Anaheim. The Astros were tied for first place in the AL West with Seattle only a week ago, but have lost six of their past seven games.

“It sucks, but thereâ€s still a chance,†first baseman Christian Walker said. “Thatâ€s all we need. Weâ€re motivated as long as thereâ€s still an opportunity. Yeah, we made it a little bit harder, but it is what it is. You canâ€t spend too much time dwelling on it. Itâ€s time to focus on winning tomorrow.â€

An Astros season that has been defined by injuries was dealt another one Friday when starting center fielder Jake Meyers was scratched with right calf soreness. All-Star shortstop Jeremy Pena missed his fifth game in a row with an oblique strain, and slugger Yordan Alvarez — whom the Astros hoped might return from a sprained ankle suffered Sept. 15 — was ruled out for the series.

Still, the Astros, behind Walkerâ€s 25th homer of the season and daring steal of home plate by rookie Zach Cole on the back end of a double steal, helped the Astros to a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. The Astros had some momentum and hope, if only for a few innings.

“Itâ€s tough,†Astros manager Joe Espada said. “Weâ€ve been in this spot before. I feel like weâ€re in the corner and we punch our way out of the corner and we get thrown back in the corner. We have to continue to punch back and fight back, but tomorrowâ€s another day and we have to continue to grind and fight if we really want this. I know those guys want it. Weâ€ve just got to keep fighting.â€

Trout got the Angels going with a fourth-inning homer off starter Jason Alexander, who went 4 2/3 innings, and they scored once in the fifth and again in the seventh to tie the game on a pinch-hit single by Chris Taylor off reliable lefty Bryan King.

“We scored early and put some good at-bats together and Jason came out throwing the ball really, really well,†Espada said. “We held that lead and we wanted to really get him through the lineup two times. He did. We just couldnâ€t tack on another run, but we competed.â€

King had not allowed any of his 22 inherited runners this season to score, which was the most inherited runners without allowing any to score in MLB this season.

Then, Trout led off the eighth with a homer off King to put the Angels ahead, 4-3, and Kenley Jansen shut the door on the Astros in the ninth.

“Heâ€s been lights-out,†Espada said. “If thereâ€s a guy we want in the game in that spot, itâ€s Bryan King. Heâ€s been our guy all year.â€

And now the Astros need nothing short of a miracle to avoid having the door shut on their season.

“Weâ€ve all been in situations in life like that when you get your hopes up and all of a sudden everything comes crashing down,†Correa said. “Itâ€s not a great feelingâ€

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In arguably one of the most consequential regular-season series in franchise history, the Seattle Mariners marched into Daikin Park over the weekend and took all three games against their annual archnemesis, the Houston Astros.

It began Friday with a 4-0 shutout featuring excellent pitching and four solo home runs from four different batters, continued Saturday with a 6-4 victory punctuated by an epic, game-ending double-play courtesy of right fielder Victor Robles and concluded Sunday with an emphatic 7-3 victory highlighted by a seven-run second inning that set the tone for the sweep-to-be.

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Altogether, it was a comprehensive showing from a Seattle team that looked superior to Houston in nearly every facet of the game and opened a clear path to the Mariners†first division title since 2001 with six games left to play. The Astros, meanwhile, are suddenly at risk of missing the postseason for the first time since 2016.

Here are the biggest takeaways from a momentous three days in H-Town.

Cal Raleigh is chasing more than just home run records

Guess who homered again — and again? Thatâ€s right, Seattleâ€s switch-hitting, superstar backstop added another two long balls to his jaw-dropping total over the weekend. On Saturday, batting right-handed, Raleigh smashed an opposite-field blast into the Astros†bullpen for his 57th of the season, breaking Ken Griffey Jr.â€s franchise record for home runs in a single season. On Sunday, Raleigh turned around and swatted home run No. 58 while batting lefty, sending a screaming line drive down the right-field line to put an exclamation point on Seattleâ€s seven-run second inning.

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With six games remaining — including three against a Rockies team that has allowed an MLB-leading 239 dingers — Raleigh has a legitimate chance to become just the seventh player ever to reach 60 home runs in a single season, and he has an outside shot to chase down Aaron Judgeâ€s American League record of 62. But no matter how many home runs Raleigh finishes with, this has been a historic showing by multiple measures.

But enough about the homers. While Raleighâ€s sensational power production is worthy of our attention, allow me to direct you to another bit of history that has nothing to do with his bat: Raleigh has started 114 games behind the plate for Seattle this season and caught 1,046 innings — and has not allowed a single passed ball. If he remains unblemished for the final week, he will break the major-league record for innings caught in a season without allowing a passed ball, a mark set by Johnny Bench in 1975.

Raleighâ€s advanced defensive metrics might not shine quite as brightly as they did a year ago, when he caught more innings than any other catcher in baseball and won the Platinum Glove as the best overall defender in the American League. But this niche fun fact is another example of how his defensive skills manifest behind the plate — all while he is one of the most feared hitters in baseball.

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Hunter Brown has done his part

Before harping on what went sideways for Houston, itâ€s worth giving some love to an Astro who has unquestionably stepped up lately. The 27-year-old right-hander delivered his sixth consecutive quality start Friday, allowing just two runs (both solo homers) across six innings, though a no-show from Houstonâ€s offense rendered his strong effort moot. Brownâ€s 21 quality starts are tied with Garrett Crochet, Cristopher Sanchez, Logan Webb and Bryan Woo for the most in baseball, and with his nine punchouts Friday, he became the seventh pitcher to reach the 200-strikeout threshold this season.

Brown looks to be neck-and-neck with Max Fried for third behind Crochet and Tarik Skubal in the AL Cy Young race; heâ€ll have another outing this week in Sacramento to bolster his case. But wherever he finishes in the voting — and whether his start this week in Sacramento is his last of 2025 or another outing awaits in a crucial Game 162 and/or in the postseason — this year has been a tremendously exciting step forward for Brown. His individual breakout should not be overshadowed by the collective struggles around him.

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Bryan Wooâ€s early exit — and whatâ€s next

Woo showed well once again Friday, with five scoreless innings and just two baserunners allowed, continuing his magnificent campaign and lowering his season ERA to a sparkling 2.94. But Wooâ€s early exit after exhibiting discomfort while warming up for the sixth inning sent a shockwave of panic through the Mariners†fan base. Fears of the absolute worst were somewhat quelled postgame, when Woo and the Mariners explained that he departed due to “pec discomfort†and not some season-ending injury. An MRI Saturday confirmed some “inflammation†but not necessarily the kind of ailment that will put Woo on the shelf.

It remains to be seen whether Woo will make another regular-season start this week (his turn in the rotation would come Thursday vs. Colorado) or Seattle will play it safe and have him rest for the postseason. Regardless, this is clearly a crucial situation for the Mariners to monitor with October fast approaching.

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Framber Valdez is scuffling at the worst possible time

For the first four months of the season, Valdez was a formidable co-ace alongside Brown atop Houstonâ€s rotation, a steady presence seemingly still in his prime as one of the leagueâ€s most reliable left-handers. Valdezâ€s 3.6 fWAR through the end of July was tied with Webb for fifth among starting pitchers, and he appeared on track to turn in another stellar campaign in the final year of his contract, priming him for a significant payday in free agency.

On less positive notes, in July, Valdez publicly criticized his teamâ€s defensive positioning after a narrow loss to the Nationals. Then there was the messy sequence in his first September start involving a cross-up with catcher Cesar Salazar that, at the very least, was brutally bad optics for Valdez. Most pertinently for the purposes of Houstonâ€s quest to return to October — and Valdezâ€s hopes of cashing in this winter — his performance his flatly tanked: After allowing another five runs against Seattle on Saturday, Valdez harbors a 6.71 ERA across nine starts since the start of August, the second-worst mark among 61 qualified starting pitchers over that span. Houston has lost eight of those nine outings, contributing to its loosening grip on a playoff spot.

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Valdezâ€s ascension from unheralded prospect into legitimate frontline arm has been one of the most important individual developments in this era of Astros baseball. Even with his recent struggles, a pitcher with his track record will be valued on the open market, and the expectation is that Valdez is unlikely to stay in Houston. As such, if he scuffles again in his final regular-season start and the Astros fail to qualify for the postseason, this would be an immensely disappointing end to what has been a hugely successful Houston tenure. Letâ€s see if thereâ€s time left for him to flip the script and finish on a high note.

Gabe Speier deserves your attention

Saturdayâ€s game concluded in dramatic fashion, with right fielder Victor Robles sprinting to make a diving catch and rob Carlos Correa before tossing the ball into second base and doubling off a confused Jake Meyers, who had taken off for home, assuming the ball had dropped. It was a spectacular play that will likely be replayed for years among Mariners faithful as perhaps the catch that sealed a long-awaited AL West title. But one inning prior, the Astros had a similar rally cooking before it was also squashed emphatically, this time thanks to Speier.

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After Jeremy Peñaâ€s grand slam in the seventh suddenly made a 6-0 Mariners blowout a narrow 6-4 lead, the Astros notched two hits in the eighth to bring the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Yainer Diaz. Eduard Bazardo — another unheralded Mariners reliever — struck out Diaz for the second out. With lefty slugger Jesús Sánchez scheduled to hit next, Seattle manager Dan Wilson summoned the southpaw Speier from the bullpen. Houston countered with the righty-swinging Christian Walker as a pinch-hitter to recapture the platoon advantage, but Walker proved no match for what Speier had to offer. He unleashed three consecutive heaters — his four-seamer rates as one of the gameâ€s best — to garner a called strike one, a foul ball for strike two and a huge whiff from Walker for strike three to end the threat and the inning.

This was a signature moment for Speier, who has quietly been one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball in 2025. He appeared sparingly for the Royals from 2019 to ‘22 before being claimed off waivers by Seattle. Speier was then stellar in his first year with the Mariners in 2023, but he took a step back last season, bouncing between Triple-A and the big leagues. Unquestionably, this season has been his best yet: Speierâ€s 2.23 FIP ranks fourth-lowest among qualified relievers, and his 1.8 fWAR ranks third among lefty bullpen arms, behind only Aroldis Chapman and Adrian Morejon. Seattleâ€s rotation and star closer Andres Muñoz get most of the headlines, but Speier is a crucial cog in the Mariners†run-prevention apparatus as they enter October.

Christian Walker is running out of time to make a difference

On the other end of that memorable showdown Saturday was Walker, whose first season as an Astro after signing a three-year, $60 million deal this past offseason is winding down in a less-than-ideal manner. Walker was downright bad the first half of the season (.660 OPS), eliciting ominous memories of the disastrous and eerily similar contract the Astros gave to Jose Abreu a few years back. Then Walker rebounded with an .831 OPS in 49 games across July and August, suggesting he could be a meaningful offensive contributor as the playoff race heated up.

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Unfortunately, he has faded once again right when Houston has needed run production the most. After hitting .316 on a nine-game road trip to Texas, Toronto and Atlanta, Walker went 0-for-16 with 10 strikeouts to start the final homestand against the Rangers and Mariners before a single in Sundayâ€s game snapped the ugly skid.

To be clear, Walker is hardly the only Houston hitter who needs to step up over this final week, especially with Yordan Alvarezâ€s absence continuing to linger and Peña still missing games due to injury as well. Jose Altuve has also been quite unproductive lately. Correa has been hitting but not slugging. Sanchez has barely made an impact since arriving at the deadline. Isaac Paredes is already back from his hamstring injury, but heâ€s not 100 percent. While all of these circumstances have contributed to Houstonâ€s fall in the standings, itâ€s the underperformance from an every-day presence such as Walker — who has started 147 of Houstonâ€s 156 games — that stands out.

The road ahead

Seattle can smell October. Its magic number to clinch the AL West is down to three, meaning any combination of three Mariners wins or Astros losses over the final week will seal the division crown. The Mariners conclude their regular-season schedule with a six-game homestand featuring two ends of the competitive spectrum: three against the MLB-worst Rockies and three against the defending champion Dodgers. Granted, itâ€s possible the Dodgers will have wrapped up their latest NL West title and their postseason positioning by the time they arrive in Seattle this weekend, lessening how daunting that matchup could be.

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As for Houston, while another AL West title might be out of reach, a path to the postseason still exists. This week, Houston will first head to Sacramento for three against the Aâ€s before finishing in Anaheim against the last-place Angels. Although the Astros will need to go on the road to earn a berth, their remaining schedule appears more favorable on paper than those of the teams they are effectively chasing in Detroit (3 at Cleveland, 3 at Boston), Cleveland (3 vs. Detroit, 3 vs. Texas) and Boston (3 at Toronto, 3 vs. Detroit). At the very least, the Astros are sure to face notably weaker pitching against the Aâ€s and Angels compared to what they just endured with the Mariners, so perhaps the bats will heat back up.

But either way, this final push will require a full-team effort, and the Astros will also need some misfortune for the clubs ahead of them if they are to reach October for a ninth consecutive season. Weâ€ve counted this franchise out plenty of times before, so itâ€d be foolish to bury them just yet, but there is ample work to be done. An enormous week for this franchise awaits.

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