ARLINGTON -- The Astros wrapped up August by sweeping two games from the Rangers, taking Wednesday’s series finale, 5-3, to cap their fifth consecutive winning month.

Despite recent injuries to key players Justin Verlander (right calf), Yordan Alvarez (hand) and Aledmys Díaz (left groin), the Astros sit atop the American League and have opened up a 12-game lead over the Mariners in the AL West with 31 games remaining.

“You try to win 15 games a month,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “We need to just continue to do the same and come out of the month healthy. There are some guys on this team who have had big Septembers, especially [Kyle Tucker]. It will be good to get Alvarez back in September, but these guys are picking it up for him in the absence of the guys that are hurt.”

Here are five questions facing the Astros in September:

1. Will ace return in time for the playoffs?
More than anything, all eyes figure to be on Verlander’s every move in the next week or so as he begins his rehab from a calf injury that landed him on the injured list Tuesday. Starting pitching has been the Astros’ bellcow, so they’re certainly well-equipped to absorb losing Verlander, with lefty Framber Valdez sliding into the ace role.

Still, going without the AL Cy Young Award favorite into October would make the Astros more vulnerable in the postseason than if they had Verlander and Valdez pitching in Games 1 and 2 of a playoff series. Last year, Houston’s starting pitching was in tatters after Lance McCullers Jr. went down in the AL Division Series, and the Astros still managed to take the Braves to six games in the World Series.

While Verlander is chasing his third Cy Young, the No. 1 goal for September will be making sure he’s completely healthy entering October. As things stand, the Astros would have a first-round bye in the AL playoffs, with Game 1 of the ALDS set for Oct. 11. That would give them almost six weeks for Verlander to get healthy.

2. What will top prospect Hunter Brown bring?
Brown, Houston’s top-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline (No. 71 overall), will be activated prior to Friday’s game. He’ll be available immediately in the bullpen, which is where he pitched his final Triple-A outing Sunday and tossed 3 1/3 hitless innings.

Brown, who throws 99 mph and has a great curveball, could be a weapon in the bullpen in the playoffs, but with Verlander on the IL, he will probably also get a chance to show what he can do as a starter at some point. If he makes the postseason roster, though, it would be as a reliever, barring more injuries. His debut will be a can’t-miss.

3. Who will earn the starting center-field job?
Jake Meyers, who injured his shoulder in last year’s ALDS, returned on June 24 and was optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday after posting a .557 OPS in 139 at-bats. The Astros still view him as their best option in center, but he’s going to have to hit in order to be a part of the playoff roster. He’ll have a couple of weeks at Sugar Land to get his swing right.

Meanwhile, Chas McCormick appeared to finally get his chance to be an everyday starter before he dislocated his pinkie a week ago. He was scratched from the lineup Wednesday when the injury flared up, with Mauricio Dubón taking his spot. 

4. Can the Astros hold off the Yankees for the AL’s best record?
After beating the Rangers on Wednesday, the Astros opened a 4 1/2-game lead over the Yankees in the AL standings, with Houston owning the tiebreaker. The Astros have a favorable schedule from here on out and won’t play another playoff contender until they go to Baltimore in three weeks. The league’s top spot is theirs for the taking.

What’s at stake is home-field advantage in a potential ALCS matchup with the Yankees. How important is that? In their four previous ALCS appearances that weren't held at a neutral site, the Astros were 3-0 when they had home-field advantage – including eliminating the Yankees’ in 2017 and ‘19 – and 0-1 when they didn’t.

5. Do the Astros have a chance to tie the franchise win record?
Let’s pump the brakes a little bit, OK? Sure, the Astros are 84-47 and only need to go 16-15 to reach 100 wins for the fourth time in their last five 162-game seasons. That’s doable. This year’s team is tied with the 2019 team for the franchise’s best record through 131 games, which means they’d have to go 23-8 the rest of the way to match the record 107 wins the ‘19 team posted. That will be a challenge.