With 10 games left, here's what's at stake in a crucial final stretch for Astros

HOUSTON -- A season that began with high hopes in March, meandered through the dogs days of summer and has zipped along quickly to the brink of fall will come down to the final 10 regular-season games for the Astros.

What’s certain is the Astros will have to find a way to play better in their final 10 games than they have in their previous 10 games, during which they’ve gone 3-7 to fall into a first-place tie in the American League West with the rival Rangers at 76-76 following a 5-2 loss to the Royals on Wednesday night at Daikin Park.

“Win tomorrow,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “Gotta win tomorrow. Start with that.”

The Astros’ offense, which was 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, managed one runner past second base through seven innings Wednesday, which came when Jeremy Peña (3-for-4) was stranded at third after leading off the game with a double. Peña has six of the Astros’ 12 hits in the first two games of the Royals series.

Astros starter Cristian Javier gave up two runs, five hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings. John Rave socked a two-run homer to right in the fourth off Javier for a 2-0 Royals lead. Kansas City scored three times in the eighth off Enyel De Los Santos, on a solo homer by Michael Massey and an RBI double by Carter Jensen with a subsequent throwing error from right field by Jorge Barrosa.

“We know what we're capable of,” said veteran first baseman Christian Walker, who’s in an 0-for-19 slump. “We [have] a chance here, regardless of where it was early in the year or a week ago. We’re in a spot to be in the postseason, and that’s what we’re fighting for.”

Here’s what is at stake in the final 10 games:

How did we get here?

The Astros were three games up on the Rangers in the AL West after taking two of three games at the Phillies last week, but have dropped four of their last five games to fall back to .500. Houston hasn’t been below .500 since they were 66-67 after losing to the Yankees on Aug. 28.

Meanwhile, the Rangers have won six of their last nine games, including the first two games of a series against the Red Sox in Arlington. Texas is back at .500 for the first time since it was 66-66

So, what happens if the Astros and Rangers finish tied for the AL West lead?

The Astros own the tiebreaker over the Rangers, having won nine of the 13 meetings over their Lone Star State rivals this year. Hey, who said the Silver Boot doesn’t mean anything? Thus, the Rangers would have to finish one game ahead of the Astros to win the division.

Who has the easiest schedule the rest of the way?

Both teams have the same strength of schedule remaining, though the Astros still have a series against one of the best teams in the National League when the Braves visit Daikin Park this weekend. Houston finishes the season on the road with two at the Mariners and four at the A’s.

The Rangers have seven home games remaining -- one more against the Red Sox before series in Arlington against the Blue Jays and Mets, both of whom are under .500. They finish the season at the Twins, who are 10 games under and out of the playoffs.

Why are the Astros struggling?

Well, it seems as if the Astros have pretty much spun their wheels since winning 11 of 12 games in late July, capped by a sweep of the Rangers to take over first place. Their offense has gone in the tank since the beginning of August, in large part because of the struggles of Peña and Yordan Alvarez at the top of the order.

Peña appears to have turned a corner, but Alvarez -- despite a two-run homer Tuesday -- isn’t producing like he did in the first four months and may have cost himself the AL Triple Crown and Most Valuable Player. The Astros are slashing .221/.291/.382 since Aug. 3, averaging 3.8 runs per game.

“I think this is a group of guys who worked really, really hard to put ourselves in a spot all season to be successful,” Walker said. “And we feel like it's right there for us to take and you just got to find the right amount of try-hard, right? You're playing as hard as you can, you’re trying to push every run across, but I've said it before, the game is elusive sometimes the harder you try.”