Tuesday, September 1, 2026

5 Astros who are crucial to playoff push

Tuesday, September 01

NEW YORK – Welcome to the final month of the season, when the pennant races will be decided and playoff positioning for October is determined. The Astros, who are leading the American League West, have 24 games remaining and begin September with nine of their first 12 games against teams who are currently in a playoff position.

After going 8-18 in April, the Astros have yet to endure a losing month. They were 15-14 in May, 16-11 in June, 13-10 in July and finished August with a 14-13 record. Last year, the Astros went 12-13 in September and missed the playoffs by one game, ending their consecutive postseason run at eight years.

Here are the five players who will be the most important for the Astros in September:

1. DH Yordan Alvarez

After being named the American League Player of the Month for July (the second time he’s won the award in 2026), Alvarez cooled off in August. He slashed .287/.415/.457 with only two home runs and 12 RBIs through 27 games in the month (he was intentionally walked nine times), while still clinging to a lead in two of the three AL Triple Crown categories (.317 batting average and 94 RBIs). He is also tied with Junior Caminero for the lead in homers with 37. A strong finish to the season could not only seal the AL Most Valuable Player for Alvarez, but deliver another division title for Houston.

2. RHP Hunter Brown

Brown missed more than two months early in the season with a right shoulder strain, so he should be fresh in September considering he’s thrown only 81 innings. Brown appears to have recaptured his ace form in his last two starts of August, allowing two runs, 12 hits and four walks while striking out 14 batters in 12 1/3 innings. Considering the shortcomings of the Astros’ starting rotation, they’ll be counting on Brown to give them quality starts. It’s worth noting that September is the only month in which Brown has had a losing record in his career, going 5-8 with a 4.22 ERA in 18 games (15 starts) in the month.

3. RHP AJ Blubaugh

The rookie reliever is emerging as an important late-inning weapon for manager Joe Espada because of his 98-mph four-seam fastball that he can blow by people and ability to pitch multiple innings. A closer in college, Blubaugh ended August with 12 consecutive scoreless innings (eight games). He ranks first in the Major Leagues with 26 relief appearances of at least two innings – the most by an Astros pitcher since Dave Veres had 27 in 1995 – and ranks first in the Majors with 84 1/3 innings in relief. Opponents are hitting .200 against his fastball and he’s holding left-handed hitters to a .168 batting average.

4. 2B Jose Altuve

Altuve began September needing six hits to reach 2,500 for his career, but the Astros’ offense needs the veteran second baseman to not stop there. After slumping in June and July, Altuve posted an .813 OPS in August and was given the day off Monday – which should be his final day off before the end of the season. Altuve has settled into the cleanup spot in the order for much of the past month, an important position with Houston’s top three hitters – Jeremy Peña, Alvarez and Isaac Paredes – hitting 1-2-3 on most nights. Houston’s batting average from its cleanup spot is .223, the second-worst in MLB.

5. 3B Carlos Correa

Tuesday will be a big day for Correa. He’s scheduled to visit a doctor for a four-month checkup from the peroneus brevis tendon repair surgery he had performed on his left ankle on May 11. The injury was originally supposed to keep Correa out for the remainder of the season, but he began swinging the bat a month ago, and a positive checkup Tuesday would mean he could begin running the bases and sliding, making a return more realistic. Espada will have to find a way to juggle five infielders with Alvarez starting at DH most nights, but that would be a good problem to have. Correa’s presence on the field and clubhouse will be enough to energize the club.

MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST

TRIVIA

When Altuve reaches 2,500 hits, he will become the second Astros player to reach that mark, trailing only Craig Biggio (3,060). Who is the only active player in Major League Baseball with more hits than Altuve?

A. Freddie Freeman

B. Mookie Betts

C. Paul Goldschmidt

D. Andrew McCutchen

WELCOME BACK, JOSÉ

José Urquidy, whose three World Series wins remain the most in Astros history by a pitcher and are the most by any Latin-born player in Major League history, returned to Daikin Park with the White Sox on Monday for the first time since Houston cut ties with him following the 2024 season.

Urquidy, signed as an international free agent out of Mexico, was a key member of the Astros rotation when they won the World Series in 2022, going 13-8 with a 3.94 ERA in 29 games (28 starts). He threw five scoreless innings to win Game 4 of the 2019 World Series against the Nationals and allowed two runs in five innings to win Game 2 of the 2021 World Series against the Braves. He won Game 5 of that series with one scoreless inning in relief.

“I threw 500 innings, I think, with this team and they helped me to be a professional athlete,” he said. “They taught me to be a good professional baseball player, and that’s something I’m very happy for the Houston Astros organization for giving me an opportunity to be a good person and good athlete.”

TRIVIA ANSWER

A. Freeman, who enters September with 2,584 hits.

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