Latest Jeremy Peña injury news timing couldn’t be worse as Astros' collapse continues

Any Houston Astros fan with a pulse is well aware of how brutal the team's free fall has been over the last month. It was already bad enough that Houston's play during the second-half made the AL West race interesting again, but now there's basically no shot that the Astros can overtake Seattle. Houston is now playing for their playoff lives on the outside looking in at the moment. Complicating matters is that the simple fact that the team simply cannot stay healthy.

On top of the news that Yordan Alvarez is out for the foreseeable future with an ankle injury, the Astros have also had to deal with Jeremy Peña being out for the last couple of games. According to an update from manager Joe Espada, Peña is currently dealing with an oblique injury. While the team and Peña seem to think that the injury should be short-term, the timing could not be worse.

Jeremy Peña's latest injury could be nail in the coffin for Astros' playoff hopes

It's no secret that the Astros' offense (or lack thereof) is a big reason why the team has struggled so much down the stretch. All of the injuries to the pitching staff certainly haven't help, but this is a lineup that was expected to be among the best in the AL and instead has suffered greatly from lengthy absences from Alvarez, Peña, and Jake Meyers.

When Peña returned from a broken rib, that was supposed to be a moment when Houston could turn things around and he did play pretty well when he came back. However, his return was not enough to overcome the lineup's other absences and shortcomings and now with Peña out again, this is an Astros team that simply does not look like a playoff team. Combine that with the fact that oblique injuries are extremely finicky and you have a recipe for true disaster.

As of September 24, the Astros are one game out of a postseason spot following a very tough loss to the Athletics. If Houston doesn't have a few of their bats step up in a hurry, this October is going to be the first one in a long time where the Astros will be watching from their couches.

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