TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Astros, who own a 2.0-game lead in the AL West, will open a three-game series with the Angels tonight at Daikin Park.
RHP Cristian Javier (1-3), who shut out the Angels in 5.0 innings of stellar relief last month, will get the start for the Astros tonight opposite Angels rookie RHP George Klassen (1 1).
EL REPTÍL: RHP Cristian Javier is making his seventh start of the season and his fourth since returning from the IL in early July…he’s split time between being a starter
and reliever since his return, making four relief appearances and three starts.
Since returning from the IL, he has a 4.30 ERA (11ER/23IP) with 21 strikeouts in 23.0 IP.
THE TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 43-31 since May 22, which is the second-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.
THAT’S OFFENSIVE: Among American League teams, the Astros rank first in slugging (.413), first in total bases (1740), second in OPS (.732), second in home runs (168), and third in runs scored (576).
In the Majors, the Astros rank third in homers, trailing only the Nationals (180) and Yankees (171).
VS. THE ANGELS: The Astros are 6-4 against the Angels this season and need just one win this week to win their sixth consecutive season series against the Angels.
The Astros 144-92 (.610) all- time record against the Angels is their best against any single opponent in franchise history.
TONIGHT’S RADIO BROADCASTS: The Astros English radio broadcast can be heard on SportsTalk
790 featuring Robert Ford and Brian Bogusevic… the Spanish radio broadcast will feature Francisco Romero and Alex Treviño on TUDN 102.9 FM.
DOWN ON THE FARM: Several of the Astros minor league clubs are having second-half success this season, while the Astros FCL team dominated in their completed campaign:
Triple A Sugar Land: In second half action, the Space Cowboys are in first place in the PCL East Division with a 31-14 (.689) record.
Double A Corpus Christi: For the second half, the Hooks are in third place in the Texas League South Division with a 23-22 record (1.0 game out of first place).
Class A Fayetteville: For the second half, the Woodpeckers are in first place in the South Atlantic League North Division with a 26-20 (.565) record.
Rookie Level FCL Astros: The Astros won the Florida Complex League championship, finishing with a 42-11
(.792) record in the regular season.
SUNDAY NIGHT: The Astros and Mariners played a close ballgame on Sunday Night Baseball, with the Astros dropping the contest by a score of 3-2.
The Astros scored their two runs on solo shots hit by 2B Nick Allen (1×2) and SS Jeremy Peña (1×4).
RHP Hunter Brown (2ER/5IP) started for Houston and was handed the loss, as he worked around five walks and three hits allowed in his outing.
TAXI SQUAD ADDITION: RHP Ethan Pecko has been added the Astros Taxi Squad and will work out with the Major League team today at Daikin Park.
Pecko, 23, the Astros sixth-round pick in 2023, has combined to post a 4.57 ERA (42ER/82.2IP) with 86 strikeouts in 20 games (18 starts) in the minors this season, including 17 games at the Triple A level.
THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader, now in his 10th Major League season, has made 499 career appearances, needing just one more to become the 12th active Major Leaguer to reach 500 career appearances.
Hader has been stellar since returning from injury in early June, going 4-1 with a 0.90 ERA (3ER/30IP), 41 strikeouts, a .126 opponent average (13×103) and a 0.77 WHIP, while also converting all 17 of his save opportunities in 31 appearances.
THROWING STRIKES: LHP Steven Okert has not allowed a walk in 22 consecutive appearances (since June 28), which spans 22.0 innings pitched.
Some notes on his streak:
- Okert is closing in on the club record for consecutive walkless apps. in a single season, which is 24 straight, posted by RHP Pat Neshek from April 8-June 2, 2015.
- Only RHP Garrett Whitlock (27g) has had a longer streak of consecutive walkless apps. in MLB in 2026.
- per Elias, Okert’s streak of 22.0 consecutive innings without a walk is the fifth-longest by a reliver in a single season in franchise history, and the longest since RHP Wilton Lopez had a streak of 22.1 consecutive walkless innings from April 8-May 17, 2012.
MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez holds the lead in all AL Triple Crown categories, ranking first in average (.321), first in HR (36) and first in RBI (88).
Additionally, he leads MLB in OPS (1.054), OBP (.435), SLG (.619), and TB (276)…in the AL, he ranks tied for first in hits (143) and XBH (61), second walks (86), and tied for second in runs (82).
YOR-GONE!: DH Yordan Alvarez has hit 36 home runs this season, which leads the AL.
He’s just one homer shy of matching his career high in homers (37 HR in 2022) and is 11 homers shy of matching the franchise record for a single season, set by 1B Jeff Bagwell in 2000 (47 HR).
OUCH!: 3B Isaac Paredes was hit by a pitch for the 17th time of the season on Sunday night, which ranks fifth in the Majors.
Hit 17 HBP are the most by an Astro in a single season since 2B Craig Biggio also recorded 17 HBP in 2007.
WHAM BAM CAM: RF Cam Smith has a triple, three homers and seven RBI in his last eight games.
Smith is batting .346 (18×52) with two doubles, two triples, three home runs, nine RBI and a 1.005 OPS in his last 15 games since July 29.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Monday, August 18, 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)
