TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros will open the second half of play tonight at Daikin Park as they welcome in the Orioles for a three-game series.
RHP Peter Lambert (8-5), the Astros most consistent starter of the first half, will get the start for Houston opposite RHP Dean Kremer (1-2) and the Orioles.
RIDING THE LAMBO: RHP Peter Lambert, who was a minor league free agent signing this offseason, leads the club in wins and among AL pitchers ranks third in opponent average (.201) and eighth in ERA (min. 85IP).
Lambert pitched last year for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the NPB, posting a 3.98 ERA (55ER/124.1IP) with 111 K’s in 23 starts.
THE SLOW TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 27-20 since May 21, which is 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.
JP’S NIGHT: SS Jeremy Peña will host little leaguers from East End Little League today for July’s Peña’s Pals, which is a program that celebrates kids and their development in academics, character building and making healthy choices.
Additionally, 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a Jeremy Peña Short Sleeve 90s Hoodie Jersey, presented by Sire Spirits, as tonight’s giveaway.
THIS WEEKEND’S TELECASTS: All three games of this series will be televised by Space City Home Network with Todd Kalas, Geoff Blum and Lauren Callender on the call.
Sideline reporter Julia Morales will rejoin the broadcast next week.
GET ‘EM EARLY: The Astros rank first in the AL and second in MLB in 1st-inning runs with 60.
Overall, the Astros rank fifth in the AL in runs (428) immediately behind tonight’s opponent, the Orioles (432).
ON THE DEFENSIVE: The Astros rank third in the AL in fielding pct. (.988) and their 42 errors are the second-fewest in the AL.
1B Christian Walker has led the way, as he has not committed an error in his 94 games played at 1B.
Dating back to last season, Walker has not made an error in his last 122 games at 1B (last error was Aug. 23, 2025 at BAL).
THE 2027 SCHEDULE: The 2027 regular season schedule was announced by Major League Baseball yesterday, which revealed Astros Opening Day as Thursday, March 25 vs. TEX.
The Astros schedule is also highlighted by weekend series against the Yankees (April 23-25), Cubs (May 14- 16), Mariners (June 25-27), Padres (July 30-Aug. 1), Phillies (Sept. 17-19), and others.
WEDNESDAY’S TRADE: Announced on Wednesday, the Astros traded RHP Lance McCullers Jr., LHP Colton Gordon, and cash considerations to the Brewers in exchange for prospect OF Jadyn Fielder.
McCullers leaves behind a legacy as one of the most-accomplished postseason pitchers in Astros history, making 19 postseason appearances (12 starts) and posting a 3.47 ERA (28ER/72.2IP) en route to two World Series championships.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have selected OF Lucas Spence (#28) to the Major League roster and have reinstated RHP Kai-Wei Teng from the 15-day IL.
Additionally, OF Brice Matthews has been placed on the 10-day IL with a left knee sprain.
ON THE MEND: The Astros have seven players on the Major League Injured List.
Updates on a few:
RHP Hayden Wesneski (rt. elbow surgery) is sheduled to pitch at Triple A tonight…he has made three rehab appearances so far, last pitching for Triple A Sugar Land on July 11 vs. ABQ (1ER/4.2IP)…he fanned seven in the outing on a season-high 61 pitches.
RHP Ronel Blanco (rt. elbow surgery) has made five rehab appearances, last starting on July 12 vs. ABQ (0ER/4.1IP), in which he tossed 68 pitches.
RHP Mike Burrows (rt. elbow neuritis) has reported to West Palm Beach to begin a throwing progression.
LHP Bennett Sousa (lt. elbow inflammation) made two rehab appearances for the FCL Astros over the All-Star break, tossing 1.0 scoreless inning in each outing. He last pitched on Wednesday (16 pitches).
OF Brice Matthews (lt. knee sprain) is currently participating in light baseball activities in Houston.
ALL-STAR ALVAREZ: DH Yordan Alvarez started and hit second for the AL in this week’s All-Star Game, going 1×2 with a single and a run scored.
This marked the fourth All-Star selection for Alvarez (2022-24, 2026) and the second time that he was voted as a starter (also in 2024).
MVP-CALIBER: DH Yordan Alvarez is a strong MVP candidate, currently leading all of baseball in OPS (1.059), OBP (.426), SLG (.633), and total bases (221).
Additionally, he ranks first in the AL in HR (31), first in RBI (70), first in XBH (48), tied for first in hits (111), second in batting average (.318), second in runs (65), and fourth in walks (63).
WHAT A HALF!: DH Yordan Alvarez hit 31 homers prior to the break, which are the most in a first half in club history, topping OF Lance Berkman, who hit 29 homers in the first half of the 2002 season.
Alvarez is on pace to hit 51 homers on the season, which would represent a new franchise record, topping the 47 homers hit by 1B Jeff Bagwell in 2000.
TAP FOR SUCCESS: Astros hitters have won an MLB-best 70 ABS challenges and lead the Majors in challenge success rate (61%).
2B Jose Altuve has been successful on 15-of-21 challenges (71%), ranking second in the Majors in challenges won.
3B Isaac Paredes (11-for-12) has been the most efficient regular challenger for the team and was successful in his first 11 challenges on the season.
WHAT A RELIEF: LHP Josh Hader is 3-1 with 10 saves (in 10 chances), has a 1.17 ERA (2ER/15.1IP), 25 strikeouts in 15.1 innings, a .115 (6×52) opponent average, and a 0.91 WHIP in 17 appearances.
He has not allowed a hit in 13 of his 17 appearances.
THE 2026 FUTURES GAME: The Astros top two prospects, OF Kevin Alvarez and IF Xavier Neyens, represented the club in the All-Star Futures Game, which was played last weekend in Philadelphia.
Both prospects, which played the first half of the season for Class A Fayetteville, are considered top 100 prospects per MiLB.com, with Alvarez ranking 69th and Neyens 87th overall.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, July 17, 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)
