Strap in for the stretch run: Plotting out the Astros' next 6 weeks

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Astros began a stretch Monday against the Giants at Oracle Park in which they will play 12 consecutive games against teams that currently have losing records, including a homestand against the Mariners, Angels and A’s that begins Friday.

The schedule gets much more difficult after that, so the next two weeks could go a long way in determining the Astros’ fate. Following Monday's 6-3 victory, the Astros are 61-59 and a half-game ahead of the Rangers in the American League West with no further meetings this year with Texas. (The Astros own the tiebreaker.)

Here’s a look ahead at the Astros’ six biggest remaining series:

Aug. 25-27 at Yankees
The Astros are six games behind the Yankees, so it’s unlikely Houston would catch them in the AL Wild Card standings if the Astros don’t win the division. Still, the Yankees are one of the best teams in the AL and have had a fierce rivalry with the Astros over the past 10 years, with Houston knocking them out of the playoffs four times. This series in the Bronx is the first of six consecutive games Houston will play in the Big Apple; they play the Mets at Citi Field on Aug. 28-30.
Season series to date: Yankees lead, 2-1

Sept. 1-3 vs. White Sox
The White Sox are currently the No. 2 seed in the American League because they lead the AL Central, and they have a 1 1/2-game lead over the Astros, who are currently the No. 3 seed. This will be an important series to watch considering the No. 2 postseason seed could be at stake, which comes with a bye into the Division Series. The No. 3 seed would play host to the third AL Wild Card team in the Wild Card Series.
Season series to date: Astros lead, 2-1

Sept. 8-10 at Phillies
The Astros kick off a huge six-game road trip with a rematch of the 2022 World Series. Rob Thomson, who managed the Phillies to the NL pennant in 2022, was fired after a 9-19 start and replaced by Don Mattlingly, who has guided Philadelphia’s turnaround. This series features the two sluggers who are currently tied for the Major League lead in home runs (35): Yordan Alvarez of the Astros and Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies.
Season series to date: First meeting

Sept. 11-13 at Rays
The Rays have the best record in the AL, so the Astros will have their hands full going back to Tropicana Field for the first time since 2024. It will also be the last head-to-head meeting of the two leading AL MVP Award candidates: Alvarez and Junior Caminero. The Astros have played very well at Tropicana Field in recent years, winning 10 of their past 12 games at the venue while outscoring the Rays, 50-22. Houston lost two of three against the Rays last year at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, where the Rays played while Tropicana Field was undergoing renovations.
Season series to date: Astros lead, 2-1

Sept. 18-20 vs. Braves
One of the best teams in baseball this year, the NL-leading Braves will play the Astros in the final three regular-season games at Daikin Park this year. It will also mark the return of Mauricio Dubón, a popular player with the Astros in four seasons and a member of their 2022 World Series championship team. He was traded to Atlanta in the offseason for Nick Allen.
Season series to date: First meeting

Sept. 22-23 at Mariners
The Mariners are slumping, but the defending AL West champs would love nothing more than to spoil the Astros’ postseason push. The Mariners have had their way with the Astros recently, winning 10 of their past 11 games against Houston, including a sweep in Seattle in April. But by the time the Astros and Mariners play at T-Mobile Park in the season’s final week of the regular season, it will have been more than four months since their previous meeting in mid-May.
Season series to date: Mariners lead, 7-1