TODAY’S GAME: The first-place Astros will try to complete a sweep of the Rangers today in the finale of this huge three-game weekend series between the top two teams in the AL West.
RHP Peter Lambert (8-5), who went 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in five July starts, will get the start for the Astros today vs. RHP Kumar Rocker (4-8) and the Rangers.
SILVER BOOT SECURED: The Astros are 8-4 against the Rangers this season, securing them the 2026 Silver Boot.
The Astros have now won the Silver Boot in 10 consecutive
seasons (every year since 2017), during which the Astros have gone 101-55 vs. the Rangers.
SWEEPSTAKES: The Astros have swept two of their last three series and four series overall this season…the Astros last swept the Rangers from Sept. 15-17, 2025, a three-game set in Houston.
WINNING WAYS: The Astros have won 10 of their last 11 games, a span that includes two five-game winning streaks, which is their season-long.
The Astros are now two games over .500, their first time at that mark since being 6-4 following their 10th game of the season on April 5.
THE TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 37-24 since May 22, which ties as the 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.
Winning Percentage since May 22, AL
T1. Astros 37-24 (.607)
T1. Red Sox 37-24 (.607)
3. Tigers 33-27 (.550)
GOIN’ DEEP: The Astros rank third in the Majors in home runs (154), trailing only the Nationals (164) and Yankees (156).
Houston has done their dam- age in bunches, recording 22 three-homer games, the most by any team in the Majors.
TODAY’S BROADCASTS: Today’s game will be televised by Space City Home Network with Todd Kalas, Geoff Blum and Julia Morales on the call.
The Astros English radio broadcast on SportsTalk 790 will feature Robert Ford and Kevin Eschenfelder.
Francisco Romero and Alex Treviño will be on the call on the Astros Spanish radio broadcast on TUDN 102.9 FM.
SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL: The surging Astros won their fifth straight game, downing the Rangers 5-4 on Saturday night at Daikin Park.
The offense did their damage against RHP Jacob deGrom, tagging him for five runs on seven hits and five walks, including multi-hit efforts from SS Jeremy Peña (2×5) and 1B Christian Walker (2×4, RBI).
RHP Ronel Blanco (3ER/4.2IP) started for Houston, before giving way to a strong bullpen (1ER/4.1IP).
MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez is a strong AL MVP candidate as he leads the league in all three Triple Crown categories, ranking first in batting average (.324), HR (35), and RBI (82).
Additionally, he currently leads MLB in OPS (1.079), OBP (.438), SLG (.641) and TB (255), and in the AL, he ranks first in hits (129), extra-base hits (56), and runs (76), and third in walks (77)…AL
HOT IN JULY: DH Yordan Alvarez hit .360 (31×86) with nine home runs, 22 RBI, a .467 OBP, a .721 SLG, and a 1.188 OPS in 23 games in July.
In the month, Alvarez led the AL in home runs, RBI, OPS and SLG, while ranking second in walks (15), second in hits, and fourth in batting average and OBP.
GOOD INTENTIONS: DH Yordan Alvarez was walked twice intentionally last night, giving him a Major League-leading 22 intentional walks on the season.
Alvarez’s 22 intentional walks ties as the third-highest total in a single season by an Astros player in club history, along with Lance Berkman, who was walked intentionally 22 times in 2006.
STREAKING: SS Jeremy Peña has hit safely in 13 straight games at a .429 (24×56) clip with 17 runs, three doubles, one triple, six home runs, 12 RBI and a 1.271 OPS during the streak.
Peña’s streak is just one game shy of his career high, a 14-gamer from April 8-23, 2025, and ties as the longest by an Astro this season (also, DH Yordan Alvarez from April 14-28).
THE LAMBO: Today’s Astros starter RHP Peter Lambert leads the club in wins (8), starts (18), innings (103.0) and strikeouts (100).
Among AL pitchers with at least 100 IP, Lambert ranks fourth in opponent average (.207) and eighth in ERA…Lambert pitched last year for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the NPB, posting a 3.98 ERA (55ER/124.1IP) with 111 strikeouts in 23 starts.
WHAT A RELIEF: LHP Josh Hader, who is 15-for-15 in save opportunities with a 1.17 ERA, recorded his 77th career save as an Astro last night, moving him past RHP Fred Gladding (76) for fifth place in saves all-time among Astros relievers.
He now trails RHP Ryan Pressly (111) for fourth on that all-time list.
STALKING 500: RHP Bryan Abreu has 497 career strikeouts, needing just three strikeouts to reach 500 for his career.
He would become just the fourth reliever in franchise history to record 500 strikeouts with the club, joining LHP Billy Wagner (694), RHP Brad Lidge (557) and RHP Dave Smith (529).
DOWN ON THE FARM: The Triple A Sugar Land Space Cowboys picked up their second-straight a walkoff win last night over Salt Lake, with RF Joey Loperfido (4×4) scoring the winning run on a double by 2B Ronel Delgado (2×3).
At Double A Corpus Christi, RHP Bryce Mayer, the Astros top pitching prospect, tossed 6.0 shutout innings, fanning nine hitters, while allowing three hits and no walks in the Hooks 7-0 win over Frisco.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, August 1, 1:10 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)
