Astros Have To Wake Up Now As They Don't Hold First Place for First Time Since August

The Houston Astros now find themselves tied in the AL West standings.

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have not been playing their best baseball for a while.

Coming off two straight losing months in July and August following a 19-7 record in June, the Astros are now facing a major battle to remain on the top of the AL West coming down the final stretch of the regular season.

With their loss against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday that resulted in a series defeat in the three-game set, the Astros have now lost all three of their series during the month of September. That comes after manager Joe Espada stated the team would turn things around, which has not transpired thus far.

Now, Houston is facing something for the first time since June 1: a tie in the AL West race.

Back-to-back #walkoff victories in extras for the @Mariners!

They are now tied for first place in the AL West 👀 pic.twitter.com/dlUWBTxGLN

— MLB (@MLB) September 12, 2025

The last time that occurred was on Aug. 12 following a loss to the Boston Red Sox. But after that, the Astros were able to maintain a lead over their division rivals despite not playing well, as both the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers played poorly in their own right.

But the Astros are facing a different reality now, with the Mariners finding their groove once again to shoot back into a tie for first place while the Rangers have produced results even without multiple star players available.

The turnaround Espada mentioned before September began has to come now, as Houston is facing the reality where they not only don't win the AL West, but they also miss the playoffs altogether.

Astros Have To Get Bats Going Immediately

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

It has been a struggle for the Astros on the offensive end. While the pitching staff has struggled in their own right, that is to be expected with so many injuries affecting that unit. The lineup should be picking up the slack since they still have high-profile players on the field, but that hasn't come to fruition just yet.

That's something that's not lost on this group, but Espada believes the offense is just one moment away from finding themselves and getting going.

"We are working hard every single day," he said, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required). "This is an offense that will take just one game, two games in a row, and then they explode, and we're just trying to get there. We need to get there."

When that will happen is the question, though. Only two teams have a lower OPS across the last 30 days than Houston does, which is not a good sign that they are close to figuring out what is plaguing them at the plate.

That needs to happen if they are going to win the AL West and be a playoff contender. Because at this point of the season with the division race now tied, it's clear the Astros have to wake up on offense to find success.