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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-watch-zach-cole-family-react-1st-career-home-run');   ga('set', 'title', 'Watch Astros star Zach Cole’s family react to 1st career home run');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Houston-Astros-left-fielder-Zach-Cole.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Watch Astros star Zach Cole’s family react to 1st career home run</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T20:04:04-07:00">September 12th, 8:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T20:08:43-07:00">September 12th, 8:08pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros blew away the Atlanta Braves on Friday, winning 11-3, all thanks to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-zach-cole-hits-1st-pitch-homer-1st-mlb-at-bat">Zach Cole, who made an unforgettable Major League debut</a> by launching a home run on the first pitch he saw and driving in four RBIs at Truist Park.</p><p>Called up from Triple-A Sugar Land after posting a .353/.459/.745 slash line in just 15 games, the 25-year-old outfielder quickly fulfilled the expectations set by Astros manager Joe Espada, who hoped Cole could “light a fire” in the team’s offense.</p><p>Cole stepped to the plate in the third inning with Jake Meyers on first base and no outs. Facing Braves rookie Hurston Waldrep, who entered with a 1.33 ERA across seven starts, Cole crushed a 93 mph cutter 423 feet to right-center field for a two-run homer. The ball left the bat at 114.3 mph, the third-hardest-hit ball by an Astros hitter this season according to Statcast. Cole became the fifth player in Astros history to homer in his first major league at-bat and the first since Mark Saccomanno on September 8, 2008.</p><p>With the home run, Cole’s <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1966658606423572990" rel="noopener">family erupted in joy</a>. Watch their jubilant reaction below.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The reaction of Zach Cole’s family after his first career HR 🥲</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLB</a>)<a href="https://t.co/z4aF6KMoJh">pic.twitter.com/z4aF6KMoJh</a> <a href="https://t.co/AhbfB6CTR7">https://t.co/AhbfB6CTR7</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1966658606423572990?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Also, Cole’s <a href="https://x.com/JomboyMedia/status/1966665047507132847" rel="noopener">former Double-A teammates went absolutely wild</a> after he homered on the first pitch of his career. Watch their reaction below.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Zach Cole’s former teammates in Double-A went NUTS after he homered on the first pitch of his career <a href="https://t.co/RwzNBEdAug">pic.twitter.com/RwzNBEdAug</a></p><p>— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) <a href="https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/1966665047507132847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Cole didn’t stop there. In the fourth inning, he singled to center to score Christian Walker, and added another RBI single during Houston’s six-run fifth inning, which featured timely hits from Walker, Jake Meyers, and Mauricio Dubón. Overall, Cole finished 3-for-4, drove in four runs, a franchise record for a debut, and tied the team record for hits in a debut.</p><p>The Astros’ offense, which had scored only eight runs in their previous four games, erupted early, scoring six runs in the fifth inning alone. Christian Walker went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and Jake Meyers contributed 2 RBIs on 2-for-3 hitting.<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-jose-altuve-launches-moonshot-hr-into-outer-space"> Jose Altuve also homered in the sixth, his 25th of the season</a>, giving Houston an 11-run cushion. The Astros went 6-for-7 with runners in scoring position through the first five innings, putting the game out of reach.</p><p>Houston’s pitching staff featured a bullpen game, with rookie Jayden Murray starting and throwing three scoreless innings while giving up only one hit. AJ Blubaugh and Nick Hernandez each pitched one scoreless inning before Colton Gordon closed the game, allowing three runs over four innings. The combined effort limited the Braves to five hits, with Ronald Acuna Jr. hitting a solo home run in the sixth and Eli White contributing a pinch-hit two-run homer in the eighth.</p><p>The victory moved the Astros (80-68) into a half-game lead over the Seattle Mariners atop the AL West.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Watch Astros star Zach Cole’s family react to 1st career home run

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-jose-altuve-launches-moonshot-hr-into-outer-space');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros’ Jose Altuve launches moonshot HR into outer space');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Houston-Astros-designated-hitter-Jose-Altuve.jpg"><figcaption>Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Astros’ Jose Altuve launches moonshot HR into outer space</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T19:16:25-07:00">September 12th, 7:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T19:16:25-07:00">September 12th, 7:16pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jose Altuve had a remarkable highlight during the Houston <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-zach-cole-hits-1st-pitch-homer-1st-mlb-at-bat">Astros’ series opener against the Atlanta Braves</a> on Friday night.</p><p>Houston began the series looking for a bounce back as they lost two of their last three games to the Toronto Blue Jays. As one of the better teams in the American League, they needed momentum to get back on track and continue to make their case as a playoff contender.</p><p>Altuve’s highlight took place in the top of the sixth inning. He stepped up to the plate as he <a href="https://x.com/MLB/status/1966667085959901626" rel="noopener">blasted the solo shot</a> to left field. The ball soared up to 414 feet in the air, showing off his powerful swing as he added on to Houston’s lead over Atlanta.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jose Altuve lifts off 🚀 <a href="https://t.co/NkTsrfFRIc">pic.twitter.com/NkTsrfFRIc</a></p><p>— MLB (@MLB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1966667085959901626?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>How Jose Altuve, Astros played against Braves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Houston-Astros-catcher-Victor-Caratini.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jose Altuve and the Astros’ offense came to play as they dominated the Braves 11-3 in the series opener.</p><p>Houston got off to a hot start, taking a 10-0 lead after five innings, and never looked back. Atlanta ended its scoring drought with three runs in the sixth and eighth frames, but it was too late as its offense was unable to make any rally down the stretch.</p><p>The Astros’ bullpen did a great job at fending off the Braves’ attack. They limited them to five hits after 32 at-bats, only conceding runs via homers late in the game. Jayden Murray started on the mound as he lasted three innings, striking out one batter while conceding one hit. Meanwhile, AJ Blubaugh earned the win while Colton Gordon obtained the save.</p><p>Houston improved to an 80-68 record on the season, boasting the best record in the AL West Division standings. They are 0.5 games above the Seattle Mariners and 2.5 games above the Texas Rangers.</p><p>The Astros will prepare for Game 2 of their series against the Braves. The contest will take place on Sept. 13 at 7:15 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros’ Jose Altuve launches moonshot HR into outer space

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-zach-cole-hits-1st-pitch-homer-1st-mlb-at-bat');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros’ Zach Cole hits 1st pitch homer in 1st MLB at-bat');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Zach-Cole-hits-1st-pitch-homer-in-1st-MLB-at-bat.jpg"></figure><h1>Astros’ Zach Cole hits 1st pitch homer in 1st MLB at-bat</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T17:07:27-07:00">September 12th, 5:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T17:20:17-07:00">September 12th, 5:20pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-dana-brown-remains-confident-can-win-al-west">Houston Astros are taking on</a> the Atlanta Braves in the first of a three-game series with the hopes of remaining firmly in the AL West playoff hunt. With things coming down to the wire, the franchise called up prospect Zach Cole to the majors to provide a boost to the offense. He did just that in his major league debut.</p><p>Cole, who is 25 years old, made his MLB debut on Friday night. He turned plenty of heads during his first career at-bat, as the young outfielder hit a home run <a href="https://x.com/brianmctaggart/status/1966649690402771111" rel="noopener">on the first pitch</a>, according to team beat writer Brian McTaggart. His homer gave the Astros an early 2-0 lead over the Braves.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Zach Cole's first pitch in the big leagues goes 423 feet for a homer, 114.3 mph off the bat. <a href="https://t.co/W6VkKBbwmy">pic.twitter.com/W6VkKBbwmy</a></p><p>— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/1966649690402771111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Cole has been in the minor league system since the 2022 season after playing at the college level for four years (three years at Ball State and one at Rochester Collegiate Summer). The Astros called him up to the majors after recently promoting him to Triple-A Sugar Land, where he only played in 15 games. During that 15-game stretch, Zach Cole flashed major potential, owning a .353 batting average and .459 OBP while recording 18 hits, five home runs, and 16 RBIs.</p><p>He’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-isaac-paredes-step-toward-injury-return">poised to make a splash for the Astros</a>, as he did in his MLB debut on Friday. If he can maintain a hot bat through September, there is a chance for Zach Cole to remain on the major league roster once the playoffs start in October. It’s safe to say things are looking great for him after going yard in his first career at-bat.</p><p>The Astros have Cole batting eighth in the lineup. He’ll likely remain in that position for a bit unless he starts going off, and his production demands that he be moved up in the lineup. Until then, we should expect to see Zach Cole on the roster through September, at the very least.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros’ Zach Cole hits 1st pitch homer in 1st MLB at-bat

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-dana-brown-remains-confident-can-win-al-west');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dana Brown remains ‘confident’ Astros can win AL West');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Astros-GM-Dana-Brown.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Dana Brown remains ‘confident’ Astros can win AL West</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T16:20:12-07:00">September 12th, 4:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T16:23:43-07:00">September 12th, 4:23pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros’ current stretch can best be described by looking to one of America’s most celebrated reality television competition shows, “The Amazing Race.” One of the seasons, which I will not name here, ended in an epic foot race. What was most dramatic about the classic finale is that you can see the inevitable happening. The team in front lost its once sizable lead, as the trailing racers gained more and more ground. Much of Space City is experiencing a similar feeling right now.</p><p>The Seattle Mariners had been gradually shrinking the gap in the American League West, and in a Thursday night thriller, they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/seattle-mariners/mariners-news-seattle-makes-impressive-history-walk-off-angels">finally caught the Astros</a> (79-68). Fans can certainly point to injuries, as Houston has been without impactful contributors for large stretches of the season, but the lineup is also underachieving.</p><p>The expectation was that Yordan Alvarez’s return could launch this team toward the top of the American League. Instead, the Astros are clinging to life, only two games above the Texas Rangers for the final Wild Card slot. This race is not over yet, though. Experienced, championship-winning competitors are running this final leg, and they can apply pressure on a Mariners club that could still have some late-season demons to exorcise.</p><p>Astros general manager Dana Brown knows this group has to wake up immediately, <a href="https://x.com/brianmctaggart/status/1966620553034236161" rel="noopener">but he believes</a> it has the talent and intangibles to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-player-who-must-step-up-al-west-race">seize the division</a> for the eighth time in the last nine years.</p><p>“We’re at that point in the season where we’re just battling for the division and we feel confident that we can win this thing,” Brown said, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. “All of the guys know what’s at stake and it’s time for the boys to turn the corner.”</p><h2><b>The Astros are running out of time to flip the switch back on</b></h2><p>Houston carving a path to the playoffs has become a foregone conclusion. Predicting this squad’s downfall just seems futile after seeing the organization push through the sign-stealing scandal and survive the loss of multiple star players. While the Mariners and the rest of the division undergo rough setbacks, the Astros endure.</p><p>They are the standard of this division. While there are definitely worthy challengers on occasion — the Rangers beat them en route to winning the 2023 World Series — the AL West crown always seems to find its way back to Daikin Park. This threat feels far more legitimate than most others, though.</p><p>Houston has not won a series since defeating the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 28 and has dropped five of its last seven games. Josh Hader, Isaac Paredes, Ronel Blanco, Luis Garcia, Spencer Arrighetti and now Lance McCullers Jr. are all on the injured list. Franchise legend Jose Altuve is 4-for-37 in September, Christian Walker has a .701 OPS in the first season of a three-year, $60 million contract and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-rumors-houston-probably-wont-re-sign-framber-valdez-writer-says">Framber Valdez is making headlines</a> for the wrong reasons.</p><p>Alvarez, Hunter Brown, Carlos Correa, Jeremy Pena and Jason Alexander are doing their best to keep the Astros afloat, but a complete effort might be needed to withstand Seattle and Texas over the final 15 regular season games. They must heed Dana Brown’s words during their road series against the Atlanta Braves (65-81), because the two biggest dangers to their continued reign are coming into town next week.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dana Brown remains ‘confident’ Astros can win AL West

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-isaac-paredes-step-toward-injury-return');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros’ Isaac Paredes takes step toward injury return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Isaac-Paredes-of-the-Houston-Astros.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Astros’ Isaac Paredes takes step toward injury return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T15:41:11-07:00">September 12th, 3:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T15:41:11-07:00">September 12th, 3:41pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The AL West is in a tight race as the Houston Astros are fighting for first place with the Seattle Mariners, with the Texas Rangers not too far behind. With the playoff race heating up, Houston receives some <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-isaac-paredes-injury-rehab-update">positive news regarding Isaac Paredes</a> that could largely benefit them in the final stretch of the regular season.</p><p>Reports indicate that Paredes, who is 26 years old, is <a href="https://x.com/matthewkawahara/status/1966615053873954851" rel="noopener">participating in live batting practice</a> on Saturday, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. The six-year infielder fell to a hamstring strain in mid-July that has had him sidelined ever since. But it appears he could be back in the lineup relatively soon.</p><p>“Isaac Paredes is scheduled to take live batting practice tomorrow in West Palm Beach, Dana Brown said.”</p><p>Before suffering the injury, Isaac Paredes was owning a .259 batting average and .359 OBP while recording 91 hits, 19 home runs, and 50 RBIs through 351 at-bats. He was playing rather well in his first season with the Astros. Paredes has experience playing all over the infield, but has mainly served as a third baseman in Houston this year.</p><p>With the Astros firmly in the race in the AL West, the club will likely monitor Paredes’ status in the coming weeks. Since being placed on the 60-day IL in mid-July, expectations have been for Isaac Paredes to return to action in mid-September. Considering he’s taking live batting practice for the first time on Saturday, he very well could be on pace to join the lineup before the playoffs begin.</p><p>In the meantime, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-lance-mccullers-jr-lands-on-il-amid-houstons-playoff-push">Astros will focus</a> on their next series against the Atlanta Braves. The first of three games begins on Friday at 7:15 p.m. EST. The club will return to Houston on Monday, where they will play against the Rangers, who are just two games back in the AL West standings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros’ Isaac Paredes takes step toward injury return

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-lance-mccullers-jr-lands-on-il-amid-houstons-playoff-push');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. lands on IL amid Houston’s playoff push');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Houston-Astros-starting-pitcher-Lance-McCullers-Jr.-43-comes-off-the-field-after-pitching-against-the-Texas-Rangers-during-the-fourth-inning-at-Globe-Life-Field.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. lands on IL amid Houston’s playoff push</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T15:26:20-07:00">September 12th, 3:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T15:36:08-07:00">September 12th, 3:36pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros have placed right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. on the 15-day injured list <a href="https://x.com/matthewkawahara/status/1966614282050707949" rel="noopener">due to right hand soreness</a>, Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle reported. The severity of the injury remains unclear, and McCullers has returned to Houston for further evaluation. Left-hander Colton Gordon has been recalled in the corresponding roster move.</p><p>McCullers’ absence comes at a crucial time, with the Astros sitting at 79-68 and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-player-who-must-step-up-al-west-race">continuing their playoff push</a> as they open a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves on Friday.</p><p>McCullers’ injury is not an immediate setback for Houston, given his limited role on the 2025 roster. After missing nearly three full seasons due to elbow issues, he returned this year <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-lance-mccullers-struggles-il-return">but couldn’t regain his prior effectiveness</a>. In 52⅓ innings pitched this season, McCullers has posted a 6.88 ERA, with a 21.8% strikeout rate and a 14.6% walk rate.</p><p>He has already had two trips to the IL this season, one in June for a right foot sprain and another in July due to a blister. Most recently, he pitched four innings over three appearances from the bullpen, allowing three earned runs, six hits, four walks, and three strikeouts. His velocity has dipped into the low 90s, making him easier for hitters to drive. Manager Joe Espada had indicated that McCullers’ bullpen usage was short-term, aimed primarily at giving the rotation flexibility.</p><p>The 31-year-old has faced persistent injury challenges throughout his career. McCullers has only once pitched more than 130 innings in a single MLB season and has never exceeded 165 innings. His fastball velocity this season has averaged 91.8 mph, down more than two ticks from his peak. Still, the Astros committed to McCullers with a five-year, $85 million extension covering 2022-2026, with a $17 million salary due in 2026.</p><p>A 2017 All-Star and two-time World Series champion (2017, 2022), McCullers made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2015. That year, he struck out 11 batters in his first complete game and ended the season with 22 starts. In 2021, he posted a 13-5 record with a 3.16 ERA and 185 strikeouts over 162⅓ innings, earning Houston’s team Pitcher of the Year award. His postseason achievements include hurling six innings in a major league-record 18-inning shutout during the 2022 ALDS and contributing to Houston’s World Series title the same year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. lands on IL amid Houston’s playoff push

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-player-who-must-step-up-al-west-race');   ga('set', 'title', '1 Astros player who must step up in AL West race with Mariners');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1-Astros-player-who-must-step-up-in-AL-West-race-with-Mariners.jpg"></figure><h1>1 Astros player who must step up in AL West race with Mariners</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T11:51:14-07:00">September 12th, 11:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T11:52:36-07:00">September 12th, 11:52am</time><address><a>RB Hayek</a>RB Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of ClutchPoints' editorial team after primarily focusing on betting content. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It is the middle of September, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-carlos-correas-urgent-demand-houston-playoff-push">things have become urgent for the Houston Astros</a>. Now, they need to figure it out. With the American League West on the line, there is work to do. All the Astros players must do what it takes to win the AL West over the Seattle Mariners. Significantly, the Astros’ division title hopes are in deep peril.</p><p>Houston has +140 odds to win the AL West, slightly behind the Mariners. For a while, it seemed like the Astros would win the division handily. But it has not gone that way. Instead, they find themselves attempting to stay in control while fending off the M’s. The AL West is up for grabs, and it is not going to be an easy road.</p><p>The Astros begin a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves on the road. Then, they begin a major six-game homestand with the Texas Rangers and Mariners. In addition to trying to overtake the Mariners, the Astros lead the Rangers by just two games, so it’s not difficult to emphasize the importance of these two series matchups. The Astros conclude the season with a six-game road trip, visiting Sacramento to face the Athletics and Anaheim to take on the Los Angeles Angels.</p><p>It’s time to review everything that has transpired to get the Astros to this point. Likewise, it’s time to see how some Astros players have done while highlighting the one who needs to do more.</p><h2><b>How the season has gone for the Astros</b></h2><p>Things started off sluggishly for Houston, as they went 16-14 by the end of April. Then, they were 31-26 at the end of May. The Astros got hot in June and were 50-34 heading into July. By the time the All-Star Break arrived, the Astros were 56-40.</p><p>Things looked exceptional for the Astros as they were 62-47 going into August. By the time September came around, they were 75-62. But the month of September has not gone well. So far, they are 4-7 in 11 games, and find themselves in a tie with the Mariners. That makes the next few weeks even more important than ever.</p><h2><b>Astros players who have thrived</b></h2><p>Christian Walker is batting just .233 with 22 home runs, 76 RBIs, and 63 runs. Yet, he has at least been consistent recently, getting a hit in 5 of 6 games. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-carlos-correa-drops-truth-bomb-on-hitting-woes-in-walk-off-loss-to-rangers">Carlos Correa has struggled,</a> but has picked things up as of late. Overall, he is batting .276 with 13 home runs, 50 RBIs, and 58 runs. Correa is also hitting .295 with six home runs, 19 RBIs, and 18 runs in 149 at-bats and 37 games since the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-houston-carlos-correa-twins-blockbuster-trade">Astros reacquired him from the Minnesota Twins.</a></p><p>Jeremy Pena has put in solid work, batting .300 with 15 home runs, 54 RBIs, and 60 runs. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-yordan-alvarez-giving-houston-pivotal-boost-playoff-push">Yordan Alvarez has been delivering results,</a> hitting .281 with six home runs, 27 RBIs, and 15 runs. Yainer Diaz has done well, batting .255 with 19 home runs, 63 RBIs, and 50 runs.</p><p>Even if not all of these players have been consistent throughout the season, they are doing well right now, for the most part. But after losing 6-0 to the Toronto Blue Jays, the offense has stalled. One Astros player has been in this rut for a while. Unfortunately, this future Hall-of-Fame player is just not cutting it. That Astros player is Jose Altuve.</p><h2><b>Jose Altuve is the Astros player who must step up</b></h2><p>Think about the two titles the Astros have won over the past nine seasons. Moreover, think about all the appearances in general. It has always had one common denominator: Altuve.</p><p>When the Astros won the title in 2017, Altuve hit .310 with seven home runs, 14 RBIs, and 14 runs. Throughout the years, Altuve has been mostly a consistent hitter in the playoffs, except for 2022. Ultimately, he has been solid. That’s what makes what’s happening now more alarming than ever before.</p><p>Altuve is not having a bad season. Overall, he is batting .261 with 24 home runs, 69 RBIs, and 75 runs. But the alarming part has been his recent stretch. Altuve is mired in an ugly 2-for-33 rut with a batting average of .060. While his teammates are at least finding ways to hit the ball occasionally, Altuve has struggled. Not only has he not gotten hits, but he has struck out eight times.</p><p>The Astros have plenty of talent on their roster. But hitting has been one of the major weaknesses this season. Yes, they still have experienced players who can push them to the playoffs. But if Altuve cannot snap out of it, will they have much of a chance to win the AL West? It seems very unlikely right now.</p><p>This series with the Braves will be the first test, and a fresh chance for Altuve to get things going. If he cannot, then there is a chance the Astros could miss the postseason entirely.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

1 Astros player who must step up in AL West race with Mariners

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-houston-promotes-prospect-zach-cole-braves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros promote prospect ahead of Braves clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Joe-Espada-walks-to-dugout.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Astros promote prospect ahead of Braves clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T08:19:52-07:00">September 12th, 8:19am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T08:19:52-07:00">September 12th, 8:19am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros <a href="https://x.com/brianmctaggart/status/1966514453517603255" rel="noopener">are reportedly promoting</a> outfielder Zach Cole ahead of their game against the Atlanta Braves on Friday night, a source told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.</p><p>“Source: The Astros are calling up OF prospect Zach Cole from Triple-A Sugar Land. He’ll join the team tonight in Atlanta. He’s played only 15 games at Triple-A, but is hitting .353/.459/.745 with five homers and 16 RBIs,” McTaggart wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Cole, 25, will be making his big league debut once manager Joe Espada either places him in the starting lineup or calls his name for a pinch hitting/defensive substitution opportunity. It remains to be seen when Cole will play, and whether or not he will start or come off the bench.</p><p>Cole was selected by the Astros in the 10th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, the outfielder has recorded a slash line of .279/.377/.539 to go along with a .916 OPS. A left-handed hitter, Cole has certainly displayed potential with the bat.</p><h2><b>Astros competing for AL West title</b></h2><p>Meanwhile, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-carlos-correas-urgent-demand-houston-playoff-push">Astros are in a competitive American League West race</a>. Houston and the Seattle Mariners are currently tied atop the division with identical 79-68 records. The 77-70 Texas Rangers are only two games back of first place as well.</p><p>The Astros were most recently defeated by the Blue Jays 6-0, as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-news-kevin-gausman-ovation-astros">Kevin Gausman turned in a complete game shutout performance</a>.  Houston will attempt to get back into the win column on Friday night in Atlanta in a potentially competitive interleague contest. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM EST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros promote prospect ahead of Braves clash

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-carlos-correas-urgent-demand-houston-playoff-push');   ga('set', 'title', 'Carlos Correa’s ‘urgent’ demand for Astros amid playoff push');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Houston-Astros-third-baseman-Carlos-Correa-2.jpg"><figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Carlos Correa’s ‘urgent’ demand for Astros amid playoff push</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T18:08:20-07:00">September 11th, 6:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T18:08:20-07:00">September 11th, 6:08pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros entered Thursday needing a win to get back on track. Unfortunately for them, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-news-kevin-gausman-ovation-astros">Carlos Correa and Co. had no chance against Kevin Gausman and the Toronto Blue Jays</a>. Toronto shut Houston out, handing Joe Espada’s team yet another loss. The result brings the Seattle Mariners even closer to surpassing the Astros in a tight race in the American League West.</p><p>When <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-houston-carlos-correa-twins-blockbuster-trade">Correa arrived in Houston after the trade deadline</a>, he was excited. Going back to the Astros was a welcome homecoming for the former All-Star. However, his introduction to the team has not had the desire result. Instead of holding a commanding division lead like it is used to, Houston’s season could come down to the final game. Despite their struggles, Correa is not worried.</p><p>The third baseman has spent plenty of time in high-pressure situations with the Astros and Minnesota Twins. Another loss to the Blue Jays is unfortunate, but he <a href="https://x.com/Chandler_Rome/status/1966302517622353988" rel="noopener">is not throwing in the towel</a>. Correa used to be a young rising star in Houston. Now, he joins veterans like Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez as a leader. According to The Athletic’s Correa, he is ready to spark a turnaround.</p><p>“Two weeks and some change left. It’s urgent,” Correa said. “We have to play better baseball. That’s the beauty of this sport, it turns around in just one day. We have to find that day, and that day has to be soon.”</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/seattle-mariners/mariners-news-cal-raleigh-1-home-run-shy-hallowed-mickey-mantle-record">Mariners, led by a record-setting season from Cal Raleigh</a>, are right behind Houston. Even the Texas Rangers have a good chance to get into the conversation with a solid winning streak. However, the Astros have enough championship experience to not crumble under the pressure of a close race down the stretch. Espada’s team is ready to fight until the bitter end for the AL West.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Carlos Correa’s ‘urgent’ demand for Astros amid playoff push

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-streak-continues-yordan-alvarez-blue-jays');   ga('set', 'title', 'Unfortunate streak continues for Astros’ Yordan Alvarez vs. Blue Jays');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Yordan-Alvarez-brings-power-to-the-Astros-when-he-is-healthy-1.jpg"><figcaption> Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Unfortunate streak continues for Astros’ Yordan Alvarez vs. Blue Jays</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T15:34:02-07:00">September 11th, 3:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T17:36:18-07:00">September 11th, 5:36pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-news-kevin-gausman-ovation-astros">Houston Astros’ bats went quiet again Thursday at Rogers Centre</a>, as Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman turned in one of the best outings of his career. Houston had no answers at the plate and dropped the series finale, 6-0, their sixth shutout loss since August 1, and Yordan Alvarez’s prolonged futility against Gausman reached a new low.</p><p>Alvarez entered the matchup 0-for-12 lifetime against Gausman with eight strikeouts and two walks, the most at-bats he had against any pitcher without recording a hit. That drought <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/astros/article/houston-toronto-blue-jays-score-recap-21042536.php" rel="noopener">stretched to 0-for-16</a> after Alvarez went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, including a called third strike on a low fastball and a pair of weak popups, per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. In total, he has now struck out nine times in 16 career plate appearances against Gausman.</p><p>The Blue Jays’ ace was in complete control throughout. He needed just 100 pitches, 79 of them strikes, to secure his fourth career complete game and second career shutout. He struck out nine, walked one, and retired the final 17 Astros he faced. The only hits allowed were Jeremy Pena’s single to lead off the fourth inning and Carlos Correa’s follow-up single. Gausman promptly escaped by inducing a popup from Jose Altuve and striking out Jesus Sanchez to strand both runners.</p><p>Offensively, Toronto gave Gausman more than enough support early. George Springer opened the first inning with an infield single before scoring on Nathan Lukes’ RBI double. Moments later, Addison Barger lifted a high popup into shallow right field that fell between Sanchez, Pena, and Altuve for a run-scoring double.</p><p>Davis Schneider extended the lead in the second with his 11th home run of the season and later added a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score Daulton Varsho, who had tripled. Barger finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Lukes and Varsho also collected extra-base hits.</p><p>Astros starter Cristian Javier allowed four runs on six hits across six innings, striking out six. His ERA ticked upward after a second straight loss despite retiring his final nine batters of the outing. Reliever Lance McCullers Jr. surrendered two more runs in the eighth to put the game further out of reach.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/al-playoff-picture-mariners-rangers-on-astros-tail">The defeat has dropped the Astros to 79-68</a>, with their division lead over the Seattle Mariners reduced to just a half-game. Houston has now lost four straight series, going 4-8 in that stretch against the Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, and Blue Jays.</p><p>Since August 1, the Astros have averaged just 3.84 runs per game, the lowest mark in the majors over that span, and scored three or fewer runs in 20 of 38 contests.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Unfortunate streak continues for Astros’ Yordan Alvarez vs. Blue Jays

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-jake-meyers-playing-blue-jays');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Astros’ Jake Meyers isn’t playing in crucial Blue Jays clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Jake-Meyers-reacts-after-getting-hit-by-a-pitch.jpg"><figcaption>Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Astros’ Jake Meyers isn’t playing in crucial Blue Jays clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T10:59:19-07:00">September 11th, 10:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T10:59:19-07:00">September 11th, 10:59am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays are set to go head-to-head on Thursday afternoon. The leaders of the American League West and American League East, Houston and Toronto are both in the conversation for the best record in the AL. The Detroit Tigers currently hold the best mark at 84-62, while the Blue Jays are 83-62 and the Astros are 79-67. Houston would certainly love to pick up a game on Thursday, but outfielder Jake Meyers is <a href="https://x.com/matthewkawahara/status/1966191881307521344" rel="noopener">not in the starting lineup</a>, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.</p><p>“Jake Meyers is getting a scheduled off-day. He’s also sore from fouling a pitch off his knee last night but is available off the bench, Joe Espada said,” Kawahara wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-joe-espada-tough-conversation-luis-garcia-il-trip">Astros have dealt with various injury concerns</a> this season. The good news is that Meyers does not seem to be dealing with any kind of serious injury. Rather, he is sore after fouling a pitch off his knee. Additionally, as Kawahara mentioned, it was a scheduled day-off for Meyers.</p><p>There is a chance he could enter the game as a replacement. The Astros would likely prefer to give him the entire contest off if possible, though. Rest is of the utmost importance at this point in the season.</p><p>Meyers, a 29-year-old outfielder, has quietly enjoyed a strong season. He is hitting .301/.361/.392 across 93 games played. Meyers also has 15 doubles and 15 stolen bases.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-houston-jp-france-boost-al-west-race">Astros are gearing up for a playoff run</a>. Houston should be able to clinch an American League Wild Card spot at the very least. However, Houston would obviously love to take home another division title. The Astros currently hold a one-game lead over the Seattle Mariners and 2.5-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the AL West.</p><p>There is still work to do, but the Astros are in a respectable position overall. Meanwhile, barring any setbacks, Jake Meyers should return to the lineup soon.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Astros’ Jake Meyers isn’t playing in crucial Blue Jays clash

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-joe-espada-tough-conversation-luis-garcia-il-trip');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros’ Joe Espada admits ‘tough conversation’ with Luis Garcia before IL trip');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Luis-Garcia-with-Houston-Astros.jpg"><figcaption>Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Astros’ Joe Espada admits ‘tough conversation’ with Luis Garcia before IL trip</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T08:00:26-07:00">September 11th, 8:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T08:00:26-07:00">September 11th, 8:00am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy is a Senior Editor at ClutchPoints, with expertise in MLB, NHL and golf. Chris graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros are looking to close out another American League West title this September. On <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-luis-garcia-to-return-over-2-years-angels-clash">September 1, they got starting pitcher Luis Garcia back off the injured list</a> for the first time since 2023. After a stellar six-inning performance in his return, he took the ball again on September 9. He left that game with an elbow injury that has him back on the IL. Astros manager Joe Espada spoke <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46218628/astros-put-luis-garcia-il-elbow-discomfort" rel="noopener">about his tough conversation</a> with Luis Garcia amid another elbow injury.</p><p>“It was tough, man,” Espada said, per ESPN. “I feel for him like he’s my son. He works extremely hard, and that’s a call as a manager you never want to get — [to] be called to the mound because something is wrong. Hopefully, we get him back, but that was a very tough conversation.”</p><p>Garcia underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023, missing nearly two seasons while rehabbing. Now, he is suffering from elbow discomfort with the playoffs just weeks away. The Astros need starting pitching, especially with Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski injured, and Garcia could have been that answer.</p><p>In his career, Garcia has a 3.60 ERA across 71 appearances, all with the Astros. He was excellent in 2021 and 2022, making 56 starts with a 3.60 ERA across the two seasons, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in ’21. Since then, it has been an injury-plagued disaster for Garcia.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-luis-garcia-leaves-blue-jays-game-amid-injury-fears">Garcia left the Astros’ game against the Toronto Blue Jays,</a> which they lost in extra innings. They took the middle game of that set on Wednesday and look to take the series win on Thursday afternoon. A win would go a long way to securing a division title, as they are only one game ahead of the Seattle Mariners.</p><p>The Astros’ pitching staff is led by Framber Valdez, but behind him represents the weakest part of their team. Without Garcia, it will be a lot to overcome in October.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros’ Joe Espada admits ‘tough conversation’ with Luis Garcia before IL trip

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