TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (72-69), who hold a slim 2.0-game lead in the AL West over the Texas Rangers, will welcome in the Arizona Diamondbacks (74-67) tonight for the first of a three-game weekend series at Daikin Park.
RHP Cristian Javier (1-5, 6.45 ERA) will get the start for the Astros tonight opposite RHP Merrill Kelly (9-12, 5.08 ERA) and the Snakes.
EL REPTÍL: RHP Cristian Javier is making his ninth start of the season and his sixth since returning from the IL in early
July. He’s split time between being a starter and reliever since his return, making five relief appearances and five starts. Since returning from the IL, he has a 4.84 ERA (19ER/35.1IP) with 38 strikeouts in 35.1 IP.
SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: Since starting the season with a 20-31 record after 51 games, the Astros are 52-38 (.578) in their last 90 games (since May 22). That is the second-best record in the AL in that span, behind the Red Sox (54-38).
ABOUT THE RECORD: At 72-69 and three games over .500, the Astros have matched their high-water mark for the season, also reached with 63-60, 60-57, 59-56, 58-55, 6-3, and 5-2 records. The Astros have got there with an American League-best 7-3 record over their last 10 games.
STARTING BLOCKS: Astros starters have a 1.66 ERA (4ER/21.2IP) with 21 strikeouts, a .169 opponent average (13×77) and a 1.15 WHIP in the first four games of this homestand. Stretching back over the Astros last 10 games, in which they’ve gone 7-3, Astros starters own a 2.94 ERA (16ER/49IP).
MEASURING UP: The Astros are within a streak of playing four straight teams with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB). The Astros are a Major League-best 28-15 (.651) vs. teams currently at .500 or above. Some clubs that the Astros have winning records against include BOS (5-1), CHC (3-0), CWS (5-2), CLE (4-2), MIA (3-0), and TB (2-1).
VS. THE D-BACKS: In their last series against each other, the Astros swept the Diamondbacks in a three-game set in Arizona from July 21-23, 2025. The Astros are 8-1 in their last nine games against the D-backs, which dates back to the 2023 season.
MINOR LEAGUE HONORS: Astros prospect RHP Antonio Morales has been named the Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Month for August. Morales, 19, went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0ER/14IP), while allowing a .067 (3×45) opponent average in three apps. for the DSL Astros Orange in August.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have placed LHP Steven Okert on the 15-day IL with a right hamstring strain (retro to Sept. 1). In a corresponding move, the Astros recalled LHP Bryan King from Triple A Sugar Land.
RELIEVER OF THE MONTH: Announced yesterday, LHP Josh Hader was named the American League Reliever of the Month for August. It is Hader’s ninth career Reliever of the Month Award and his third as an Astro. In the month, Hader converted all seven of his save opportunities, while going scoreless in his 13 total appearances and 14.1 innings pitched.
STREAKING: LHP Josh Hader has worked 19 consecutive scoreless appearances, spanning 20.0 innings (since July 21). This is the longest streak by an Astros hurler this season and the second-longest active streak in the Majors. Opponents are just 5×65 (.077) vs. Hader during the streak.
THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader has 249 career saves, needing just one more save to become the 41st player in modern MLB history to reach 250 career saves. Hader has 22 of those saves this season, in 22 save chances.
YOU’RE MY BOY BLU!: RHP A.J. Blubaugh, who’s tossed 14.0 consecutive scoreless innings, has taken a huge Major League lead in innings pitched as a reliever with 86.1, far ahead of second-place RHP Paul Blackburn (75IP). The Astros have not had a reliever lead the Majors in innings since RHP Doug Jones (111.2IP) in 1992.
TRIPLE THREAT: DH Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently owns at least a share of the lead in all three Triple Crown categories. He enters tonight leading the AL in batting avg. (.316), while ranking tied for first in HR (37) and RBI (94).
Rare Feat: 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).
FEELS INTENTIONAL: DH Yordan Alvarez has been issued 30 intentional walks on the year, which is a franchise record, besting the 27 intentional walks for 1B Jeff Bagwell in 1997. Alvarez leads the Majors in intentional walks, topping second-place DH Shohei Ohtani (16) by a whopping 14 IBB. Lastly, the AL record for intentional walks in a season is in play for Alvarez, a record that’s currently held by RF Aaron Judge (36 IBB in 2025).
THE HIT MAN: 2B Jose Altuve has 2,495 career hits, needing just five hits to reach 2,500 for his career. Among active players, Altuve ranks second in hits, trailing only 1B Freddie Freeman (2,586).
BEHIND THE DISH: C Christian Vázquez has played in 999 career games as a catcher and is looking to become just the third active catcher to reach 1,000 career games behind the dish. He would join C Salvador Perez (1,427) and C J.T. Realmuto (1,382) in that exclusive group.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2023 – Trailing 3-0 through the 4th, the Astros offense exploded in a Labor Day matinee in Arlington, scoring 13 runs over the game’s last 5.0 innings en route to a 13-6 win. The offense connected for five homers on the day, including multi-homer games by 2B Jose Altuve (4×6) and CF Mauricio Dubón (2×5), who went back-to-back on two different occasions. According to STATS, the Astros became the first team in MLB history to have their No. 9 (Dubón) and No. 1 (Altuve) hitters hit back-to-back homers twice in the same game.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, September 4, 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)
