HOUSTON -- As surprised as many around baseball will be to wake up on Aug. 1 and see the Astros in first place in the American League West, those who have paid attention over the last decade should have known better.
After falling 6 1/2 games out of first place when they were 20-31 on May 21, the Astros will begin the month of August in the same place they’ve been in seven of the previous eight seasons (not counting the shortened 2020 season) -- leading (or tied for the lead in) the division after crushing the Rangers, 11-2, for their fourth win in a row Friday night at Daikin Park.
“It feels good,” shortstop Jeremy Peña said. “This team has battled very hard to get back in this position. This is not a time to let off the gas. It’s time to keep playing ball. There’s a lot of season left, and we know what can happen in two months. We’ve got to keep it going and play good baseball.”
The Astros (56-55), winners of nine of their past 10 games, jumped the Rangers (55-55) and moved into sole possession of first place in the division for the first time since April 6, which was also the last time they were over .500. Houston also won the season series over its Lone Star State rivals, which gives the Astros the tiebreaker over the Rangers if they finish the season with the same record.
“There’s still baseball to be played, but I think it’s important to recognize those guys in there,” manager Joe Espada said. “They all worked really, really hard to get to this point. We have battled injuries, some ups and downs, and they come to work every day with the right attitude, the right mindset. They’re tough; they stay together. I’m just proud of our effort. … We have to come back tomorrow and do it again and continue to do it.”
Yainer Diaz went 4-for-5 with a homer for the second game in a row to pace the Astros’ 18-hit attack, which tied their season high. Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker also homered, and ace right-hander Hunter Brown threw 5 2/3 innings and held the Rangers to two runs on six hits and two walks.
The Astros’ slow start was due in large part to injuries, including Brown, Diaz, Peña and closer Josh Hader missing significant time, and infielder Carlos Correa being lost for most of the season. What’s more, pitching additions Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows and Ryan Weiss were flops in the rotation.
“We’ve worked very hard for this, and we’re going to keep working hard to finish and stay in that same spot,” Diaz said.
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After going 8-18 in April, the Astros have had three consecutive winning months and will be looking to add some players before Monday’s 5 p.m. CT Trade Deadline. Houston is 9-1 since Peña challenged the club to make a run following a demoralizing sweep at home to the Orioles out of the All-Star break.
“I wasn’t trying to send any message,” Peña said. “The message is clear in the clubhouse. No one needs to speak up, no one needs to be the voice. Everyone’s on the same page, everyone knows what’s got to get done. You got to win ballgames, and we’ve got to keep going.”
The Astros had a 4 1/2-game lead in the division on Aug. 1 last year, but went 13-15 in August and 12-13 in September. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 on a tiebreaker to the Tigers, who took the third Wild Card spot. Houston was tied with Seattle for first place on Aug. 1, 2024, and went 18-10 in August and 14-11 in September to win the division.
On Friday, the Astros took a 3-0 lead in the second inning against Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi on an RBI double by LaMonte Wade Jr. and a two-run single by Yordan Alvarez with the bases loaded. That gave Alvarez 82 RBIs, which is two behind Major League leader Sal Stewart of the Reds. Paredes and Walker led off the fifth with back-to-back homers, and Diaz homered in a four-run seventh.
That was more than enough for Brown (3-1), who held the Rangers scoreless before giving up a solo homer to Joc Pederson in the sixth inning. He came within one out of a quality start and is 2-1 with a 4.07 ERA in eight starts since coming off the injured list.
The Astros are 23-14 since Brown returned from the injured list on June 16.
“Everybody in this clubhouse, we show up and want to win and expect to win,” he said.