Astros look to grab AL West destiny in final road trip against rivals

HOUSTON -- It’s been seven months since the Astros reported to Spring Training in West Palm Beach, Fla., with their sights set on returning to the postseason after missing the playoffs by one game last year. The ups and downs of the summer have led us here -- the final week of the regular season, with the Astros needing some wins and some help to return to October.

The Astros (77-79) have lost 10 of their last 14 games, which included a pair of sweeps to first place teams in the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves, but all that stands between them and an American League West title is two division foes -- the Mariners and the A’s. Houston will play two games in Seattle beginning Tuesday before ending the season with four games in West Sacramento against the A’s.

The Astros are one game behind first-place Rangers (78-78) in the American League West and own the tiebreaker over Texas. Thus, Houston needs to simply finish with the same record as the Rangers, who host the Mets for three games before finishing the season in Minnesota against the Twins.

“We have a very veteran-led group here,” outfielder Taylor Trammell said. “Nobody's blinking. Everybody's kind of like, ‘We know what we need to do.’ It’s not a ‘hoorah’ or anything like that. It’s like, ‘Hey, look at the guy right next to you, look at him in the eye and say, “I got you.’”

Here are three storylines to watch for the Astros in the final week of the season:

The road ahead
The Astros have been a better team on the road (38-37) this year than they have at home (39-42), going 37-28 away from Daikin Park after a 1-9 start on the road. Houston was swept in Seattle in the first road trip of the season when its starting pitchers were dropping like flies, and the Astros are 2-9 against the Mariners this year.

Seattle ended the Astros’ grip on the AL West by winning the division last year and, if nothing else, would love to help spoil Houston’s postseason chances in 2026. The Astros lost two of three games at the A’s in early April and are 4-5 against the A’s this year. Playing at Sutter Health Park, a Minor League stadium, can be unpredictable, so these two series are more difficult than they might appear.

Triple Crown/MVP at stake
Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who spoke up in a team meeting following Sunday’s sweep at the hands of the Braves, is holding onto slim chances of winning the Triple Crown. He went 2-for-4 with two singles in Sunday’s 4-2 loss and is still leading the AL with a .313 batting average. He’s second behind Junior Caminero of the Rays with 40 homers (Caminero has 41) and entered Sunday trailing Baltimore’s Pete Alonso by six RBIs. Alvarez is stuck on 99 RBIs, and Alonso had 105.

Alvarez still leads the Major Leagues in OPS, slugging percentage and on-base percentage and leads the AL in extra-base hits, total bases and walks, so he is still the favorite to win the AL Most Valuable Player Award. A batting title is also in play, as well. Alvarez’s chances of winning the MVP would be boosted by the Astros winning the AL West and finishing with a winning record.

What does the future hold?
The Astros parted ways with general manager Dana Brown a month ago, and owner Jim Crane said at the time he would evaluate manager Joe Espada at the end of the season. Espada isn’t under contract for next year, so the next six games could go a long way in determining Espada’s future with the Astros, a team he’s managed for three seasons.

Espada is still looking for his first postseason win as a manager, with the Astros getting swept by the Tigers in the AL Wild Card Series in 2024 and missing the playoffs last year by one (they lost the tiebreaker to the Tigers). Espada was promoted to manager after serving as bench coach to two managers who won World Series titles with Houston -- AJ Hinch and Dusty Baker.

What’s more, some Astros players could be in their final few days in Houston if they don’t advance to the postseason. Most notably, the club may choose to trade star shortstop Jeremy Peña a year away from free agency this winter, as it did with free-agent-to-be Kyle Tucker two years ago.