Astros Announce Lineup With AL West Title Within Reach

The Astros magic number sits at two with two games to play.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski (39) and Yainer Diaz (21) Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Astros and Athletics take to the field for the third game of their series and second to last game of the season. The Astros hold a slim advantage in the tiebreaker over the Texas Rangers.

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ATH - NBCSCA

HOU - Space City Home Network

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ATH - Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A's Cast

HOU - KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KLTN-TUDN 102.9 FM

Pitching Matchup

Hayden Wesneski starts for Houston with his 5-2 record and 3.50 ERA.  The right-handed pitcher has a 2.30 ERA in his last six starts with a 3-1 record. He got a no decision in his last start with 5.1 innings of one-run baseball against the Braves. He hasn’t pitched as well on the road with a 4.39 ERA away from Daikin Park.

Athletics pitcher Jack Perkins (50) Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jack Perkins gets the start for the Athletics with a 3-12 record and a 5.90 ERA. The right-handed pitcher has pitched well since Aug. 18 with a 2.62 ERA but it hasn’t translated to wins as the A’s have a 7-2 record in those games.

Astros Lineup

Jeremy Pena hits leadoff for the Astros. Since the Atlanta series, Pena is hitting 4-for-27 (.148) with a .401 OPS. He went 0-for-5 with the game ending double play during Friday’s one-run loss. Pena hasn’t played up to his standard on the road this season with a .682 OPS compared to .901 at home.

Yordan Alvarez hits second for the Astros. Despite falling out of contention for the triple crown, Alvarez still leads the league in batting average with a .315 average, leading Chandler Simpson by nine points. Alvarez has at least one hit and one walk in each of his last four games.

Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes (15) Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Isaac Paredes occupies the three-hole spot for the Astros on Saturday.  Despite an 0-fer day on Friday, Paredes has a .979 OPS since the month began. He’s homered seven times in September and drove in 20 in 22 games. 20 of his 24 homers this season have come against right-handed pitching. Paredes has two home runs in three at bats against Perkins.

Jose Altuve hits in the four-hole for Saturday. After four straight games of two hits or more, Altuve has gone 0-for-7 over his last two games with a walk and a sacrifice fly. He has 16 homers on the season but just one since Sep. 4.

Yainer Diaz catches and bats in the five spot. Diaz has been one of the Astros’ best hitters since September began with a .971 OPS. He’s hitting .351 in the month with nine extra-base hits in 74 at-bats. Over his last five games, Diaz has a 1.136 OPS with two home runs. He’s recorded a multi-hit game in four of his last five appearances.

Christian Walker hits sixth for Houston. He’s hit solo homers in each of the two games in Sacramento. Before Friday’s loss, the Astros had won the last 20 games in which Walker has homered.

Houston Astros center fielder Lucas Spence (28) Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lucas Spence hit seventh for Houston, Spence went 0-for-4 in the loss to the A’s after his three-home run game on Thursday. That game raised his season OPS from .419 to .718. It’s gone down to .660 after his hitless performance.

Cam Smith bats in the eight spot for the Astros. Smith had a solo home run and a walk in Friday’s tough loss. He’s hit much better away from Houston with a .769 OPS on the road this season compared to .560 at home.

Taylor Trammell hits in the final spot for Houston. His last hit came in the Kansas City series. He is 0-for-12 since then.