Blown Ninth-Inning Lead Was Latest Gut Punch To Astros During Tough Stretch

The Houston Astros need to fight their way out of this slump if they hope to win the division.

Aug 5, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Houston Astros manager Joe Espada (19) speaks with the media in the dugout against the Miami Marlins before the game at loanDepot Park. | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros are in one of the closest races in baseball right now for the AL West title.

They had a little bit of breathing room when both the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers were in ruts of their own, but now the script has been flipped. The Astros are 9-13 since Aug. 24 and find themselves with only a single-game lead over the Mariners with the Rangers right behind. 

Houston has been victims of the injured list all year, but nothing has compared to what Texas has dealt with, who lost Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Nathan Eovaldi in a span of 10 or so days. Now, as the regular season comes to a close, injuries can't be something that's pointed to as an excuse when it comes to this division race.

Blown Save By Bryan Abreu Was Costly

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Tuesday was a perfect example of the team not being able to win in a close game.

Houston went into Rogers Centre to face off against one of the best teams in baseball in the Toronto Blue Jays. This was a huge test the Astros were acing until the bottom of the ninth inning. Even after losing Luis Garcia to an apparent injury before finished two innings, the pitching staff held a no-hitter into the sixth before it was broken up with a solo homer.

Still, Houston had a 3-1 lead until a single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and an error by Mauricio Dubón allowed two runners to score and tie up the game in the ninth inning on a blown save by Bryan Abreu. The bullpen did a tremendous job after Garcia was injured, but they couldn't close things out.

BLUE JAYS WALK OFF THE ASTROS IN EXTRAS pic.twitter.com/kB9KTrN8ga

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 10, 2025

The Astros were unable to bring home the ghost runner in the top of the 10th inning, which almost assured their demise. The Blue Jays didn't have that problem, and they went ahead and walked it off. This is now the seventh time in Houston's last eight extra-inning games that a player has gotten to second base -- either by way or the ghost runner or not -- and didn't score.

The Astros are the lone division leader to not reach the 80-win mark yet this season. The ballclub is lucky they still at the top of the AL West based on how they have been playing, but their breathing room is now nonexistent after their division rivals have started to turn things around.

If Houston is going to hold onto their lead, they are going to need much better performances from the offense and pitching staff as a whole going forward.