TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Astros will open their final homestand of the regular season tonight as they welcome in the Royals for an important three-game series in Houston, TX.
Astros ace RHP Hunter Brown (5-3) will try to pitch the Astros back into the win column tonight as he starts opposite RHP Michael Wacha (9-8) and the Royals.
BROTHER BROWN: RHP Hunter Brown has posted a 3.12 ERA (18ER/52IP) in his last eight starts (since July 25), pitching through the 5th inning in all eight outings.
Brown,
who finished third in the AL Cy Young Award voting last season, has been limited this season, missing over two months due to a lengthy stint on the Injured List (April 1-June 15) with a right shoulder strain.
ASTROS-ROYALS: The Astros and Royals have a memorable history, with the two clubs meeting each other in the 2015 ALDS, won by the Royals in five games.
11 years later, 2B Jose Altuve and C Salvador Perez remain on their respective team’s active rosters, while SS Carlos Correa, currently on the IL, also played in the series.
More recently, the Astros are 9-4 in their last 13 games against the Royals, including a 2-1 record this season.
CLEMENTE DAY: Today is Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One.
As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases, on the official dugout lineup cards and on a special uniform patch.
In honor of Clemente, seven different Astros players and Manager Joe Espada will wear Clemente’s #21 for tonight’s game.
HADER NAMED CLEMENTE NOMINEE: For the second straight season, LHP Josh Hader has been named the Astros nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s most prestigious individual honor for MLB players.
The Roberto Clemente Award, presented by Capital One, is the annual recognition of an MLB player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
FIRST RESPONDERS NIGHT: Tonight is First Responders Night at the ballpark as the Astros will proudly honor the courageous men and women who serve the city of Houston.
There will be a pregame ceremony and ceremonial first pitch for First Responders Night presented by Budweiser.
THE SUNDAY SCARIES: The Astros finished their six-game road trip on Sunday in Tampa with a 14-4 loss to the Rays.
The Astros hit three homers in the loss, one each by 3B Isaac Paredes (1×3), SS Nick Allen (1×2) and DH Nelson Velázquez (1×2).
CHALLENGING STRETCH: On Sunday, the Astros completed a stretch of playing 13 consecutive games against opponents with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB), going 6-7 in those contests.
On the season, the Astros are 29-23 against teams with .500 or better records.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have placed OF Taylor Trammell on the Paternity List and have recalled OF Joey Loperfido from Triple A Sugar Land.
TRIPLE THREAT: DH Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently ranks first or second in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories.
He enters today leading the AL in batting avg. (.310), while ranking second in RBI (96) and tied for second in HR (38)…Alvarez also leads the Majors in OPS (1.016), SLG (.589) and OBP (.427).
Since Carl Yastrzemski won the AL Triple Crown in 1967, there has been just one Triple Crown winner in the Majors, Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (AL).
ISAAC’S FABLES: 3B Isaac Paredes has posted a 20-game on-base streak, which is the second-longest on-base streak of his career (22g in 2025) and the second-longest active on-base streak in the Majors (Elly De La Cruz, 21g).
During the streak, which dates back to Aug. 23, Paredes has 14 walks, a .395 OBP and a .917 OPS.
NOTHING FINER THAN YAINER: C Yainer Diaz is hitting .378 (14×37) in the month of September with a .924 OPS.
Prior to going 0x3 on Sunday, Diaz had tallied multiple hits in six straight starts, going 13×23 (.565) in that span.
STALKING 200: 1B Christian Walker is currently sitting on 199 career home runs and needs just one homer to become the 35th active Major League player to reach 200 career long balls.
Walker has hit 25 homers this year for his fifth consecutive 25-plus homer season (2022-26).
FIREMEN: LHP Josh Hader ranks tied for 40th in Major League history with 252 career saves, along with LHP Dave Righetti.
Among lefties, Hader and Righetti rank tied for fifth in saves in MLB history.
ONE WIN AWAY!: The Class A Fayetteville Woodpeckers won Game 1 of the Carolina League Championship Series over Charleston on Sunday by a score of 14-4.
The three-game series shifts to Fayetteville tonight with the Woodpeckers needing just one more win to take home their first championship in franchise history.
ASTROS MILB PLAYERS OF THE YEAR: The Astros player development department has named C Jason Schiavone the Astros 2026 Minor League Player of the Year, RHP Bryce Mayer the Astros 2026 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, OF Anthony Huezo the Astros 2026 Minor League Baserunner of the Year, IF Max Holy the Astros 2026 Minor League Defender of the Year and IF Yamal Encarnacion the Astros 2026 Standard Award recipient.
All five players will be recognized in a pregame ceremony at Daikin Park on Sunday.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, September 15, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
