Varsho leads charge as bottom of the order propels Astros to crucial win

PHILADELPHIA -- Astros center fielder Daulton Varsho spent quite a few childhood summers shagging fly balls in the outfield at Citizens Bank Park during Phillies batting practice.

From the time Daulton was 6-10 years old, his dad, Gary, served as a coach for the Phillies. Daulton is even named after legendary Phillies catcher Darren Daulton, Gary's teammate during his lone season playing for the Phils in 1995.

On Tuesday night, the now-30-year-old Varsho was back patrolling center field at that same ballpark -- but this time around, he did plenty of work from the batter's box, as well. Varsho tormented the team that his younger self spent so much time around, hitting what proved to be the decisive home run to lead the Astros to a pivotal 6-5 win over the Phillies.

The victory pushed the Astros 2 1/2 games ahead of the Rangers atop the American League West, pending the outcome of Texas' game Tuesday night in Seattle.

“I like hitting here,” Varsho said after going 3-for-5 and scoring a pair of runs. “It's a place that always brings back good memories. So yeah, it's always nice to have a good game here.”

The Astros know their path back to the postseason isn't an easy one. They're in the midst of playing 13 consecutive games -- and 16 of 19 -- against teams that began the day in the postseason picture.

Yet on a rare night in which Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve each went 0-for-5 -- the only two Astros players to not get a hit -- the offense still managed six runs off 11 hits. Nearly all of that damage came from the bottom half of the order.

“You’ve got to pick each other up,” manager Joe Espada said. “That's how you do it. That's how you stay in the race. That’s how we roll, man. Yordan, he gets all the attention and rightfully so, but we need everyone to contribute. Everyone.”

Along with Varsho’s three-hit game out of the No. 5 spot, No. 7 hitter Christian Walker got things started with a three-run homer in the second inning on his way to reaching base three times. No. 9 hitter Cam Smith added a solo homer in the fourth. Yainer Diaz, hitting sixth, also notched a pair of hits.

Overall, the Astros' Nos. 5-9 hitters went a combined 9-for-20 (.450) with five RBIs. The top four hitters were just 2-for-18 (.111), including that 0-for-10 from Alvarez and Altuve.

“Those guys, they've been carrying us all year. Yordan's been unbelievable,” Walker said. “I think it's good to make sure he knows that he can try to figure some stuff out and go through something, and it's not going to come at the cost of not winning games. Proud of the guys for picking up the slack.”

That, however, has not been the norm for the 2026 Astros.

Their Nos. 5-9 hitters entered Tuesday with a collective .285 on-base percentage -- the worst mark across MLB for those spots in the lineup. They were hitting a combined .225 (28th in MLB) with a .654 OPS (also 28th).

Getting the type of contributions they got from the bottom of the order on Tuesday could go a long way toward helping the Astros return to the postseason after missing out last year for the first time since 2016.

"We’re trying to get to the playoffs, and these are the type of teams that you're going to have to play -- and beat -- in the playoffs," Espada said. "So I like playing teams like this toward the end. Guys look forward to these matchups."

Even if the lineup can hit its stride over the final few weeks, it’s no secret that postseason success often comes down to quality pitching -- and the Astros just might be getting that, too.

Their starting pitchers had a 5.22 ERA through Aug. 20. That ranked 28th across the Majors, with only the A's and Rockies putting up a higher number.

But since then?

Their starting staff has a 2.93 ERA after Hayden Wesneski held the Phillies to three runs over six innings. As of final out, that ranked third behind only the Angels (2.50) and Phillies (2.78).

“It’s pushing time. It's time to go,” Wesneski said. “ … These are just really important games, and guys feel it -- and that makes it simple.

“Hey, we need to win. That's it. Simple as that.”