TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (65-64), who own a slim 1.0-game lead in the AL West over the Rangers, will play the middle game of their huge three-game weekend series against the A’s (49-80) tonight at Daikin Park.
RHP Hunter Brown (3-3, 3.67 ERA) will get the start tonight for the Astros opposite the A’s and LHP Jacob Lopez (5-4, 5.22 ERA).
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DIESEL POWER: RHP Hunter Brown will make his 14th start of the season and his 11th since returning from a lengthy stint on the IL with a right shoulder strain. The 2025 All-Star has started to round into form over his last five starts, going 2-2 with a 3.14 ERA (10ER/28.2IP) with 29 strikeouts, a .186 opponent average (19×102) and a 1.08 WHIP.
THE TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 45-33 since May 22, which is the second-best record in the AL in that span. On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.
THAT’S OFFENSIVE: Among AL teams, the Astros rank first in slugging (.411), first in total bases (1779), third in home runs (170), third in runs scored (587), and third in OPS (.728). In the Majors, the Astros rank fourth in homers, trailing only the Nationals (183), Yankees (176) and White Sox (171).
PLAYERS’ WEEKEND: It’s MLB Players’ Weekend, which provides MLB players the opportunity to showcase the people, passions and causes that make them who they are on and off the field. After originally taking place from 2017-19 and then re-imagined in 2024, this sixth edition of Players’ Weekend brings personal stories and self-expression to life through custom bats and cleats, and a wide breadth of storytelling across MLB platforms.
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THE DOG DAYS: The Astros will hold two Dog Days, tonight and tomorrow at Daikin Park. On both days, the first 500 dogs to enter the park will receive an exclusive Astros Dog Toy. There will also be fun activities for dogs to participate in and will be dog-related vendors in attendance in Hall of Fame Alley.
VS. THE A’S: This is the third of four series between the Astros and A’s this season, with Houston going 4-3 in their seven games. After this series, the two clubs will match up for a four-game series in Sacramento to end the regular season from Sept. 24-27.
MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez holds the lead in all AL Triple Crown categories, ranking first in average (.321), first in HR (36) and first in RBI (90). Additionally, he leads MLB in OPS (1.052), OBP (.434), SLG (.618), and TB (283). In the AL, he ranks first in XBH (64), second in hits (147), walks (87), and runs (85), and tied for third in doubles (28)…
YOR-GONE!: DH Yordan Alvarez (36 HR) is just one homer shy of matching his career high in homers, which was 37, hit in 2022.
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HIT PAREDES: 3B Isaac Paredes has gone 11 straight games without a strikeout, taking 45 plate appearances in those contests. He’s also hit safely in 10 of his last 13 games (since Aug. 7), while batting .375 (18×48) with five doubles, one home run, eight RBI, and a .986 OPS in that span.
AUGUST HEROES: 2B Jose Altuve is having a strong month, hitting .339 (20×59) with a .403 OBP and an .861 OPS in 17 games this month. Also, RF Cam Smith is hitting .296 (16×54) with four homers, 10 RBI and an .884 OPS in 17 games in August.
PEÑA SIDELINED: The Astros have been without SS Jeremy Peña the last two games due to a right hand contusion, suffered on a HBP on Wednesday. The Astros have been a different team with Peña in the lineup this season, going 43-33 in his 76 starts.
STREAK SNAPPED: 1B Christian Walker had his run of errorless games come to an end last night at an incredible 121 consecutive games. Prior to last night, he was the only qualified infielder in the Majors without an error on the season.
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THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader has made 500 career appearances and is the 11th active pitcher to reach that milestone. Hader has been stellar since returning from injury in June, going 4-1 with a 0.87 ERA (3ER/31IP), 41 strikeouts, a .123 opponent average (13×106) and a 0.77 WHIP, while converting all 18 of his save chances in 32 appearances.
MY BOY BLU!: RHP A.J. Blubaugh has taken a commanding Major League lead in innings pitched as a reliever with 78.0, far ahead of second-place LHP Aaron Ashby (68.2IP). The Astros have not had a reliever lead the Majors in innings pitched since RHP Doug Jones (111.2IP) in 1992.
DOWN ON THE FARM: Several of the Astros minor league clubs are having success this season:
• Triple A Sugar Land: In the second half, the Space Cowboys (34-15) are in first in the PCL East Division.
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• Class A Fayetteville: For the second half, the Woodpeckers are in first place in the South Atlantic League North Division with a 30-20 (.600) record.
• Rookie Level FCL Astros: The Astros won the Florida Complex League championship, finishing with a 42-11 (.792) record in the regular season.
• Rookie Level DSL Astros: The DSL Astros Orange finished with a 33-20 record and advanced to the DSL playoffs, going 1-1 so far in their current three-game series vs. the DSL Padres.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1988 – Rookie C Craig Biggio hits his first Major League homer, a go-ahead solo shot in the 10th inning, in the Astros 9-7 win in 10 innings at Wrigley Field. The homer comes off future HOFer RHP Goose Gossage in what was Biggio’s 33rd MLB game. The future HOFer Biggio would go on to hit 291 career HR, which ranks third in club history.
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Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, August 21, 6:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; ESPN Radio (National); TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
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