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The Houston Astros are set to start the second half with a lot of momentum on their side. After a stellar run in June where they went an MLB-best 17-8, the Astros closed out the first half with an 8-5 record so far in July and sit just a game back in the AL West.
Considering how the 2024 season started, that is nothing short of a miracle.
However, Houston won't have time to ease back into things after the All-Star break, as the team that is ahead of them in the standings, the Mariners, is also the team that the Astros are facing to start the second half. This road series could very well set the tone for the rest of the season.
Astros to start second half with crucial series against division rival Mariners
Obviously there is still a lot of season left to play, and one series in July won't make or break the Astros' season regardless of the opponent. However, Houston has all of the momentum in the world right now, and if the Astros can win this series, they could find themselves at least tied for the division lead by the end of the weekend. They can also grab the lead outright with a sweep -- and might never give it back.
More than that, though, this is an opportunity to exorcise one of the Astros' remaining demons in 2024. Coming into the series, Seattle holds a 5-2 edge in the season series between the two teams. A good series from Houston could blunt any confidence the Mariners might build the rest of the way, but a bad series would put the Astros even further behind and basically make winning the tiebreaker with Seattle at the end of the season impossible.
In case you need another source of optimism, the Mariners will come into this series having just suffered an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Angels. That could play into Houston's hands if LA exposed something about the Mariners, but it is hard to say how much that matters, given that the All-Star break gave them time to regroup.
We'll know before long exactly what the picture in the division (as well as the AL Wild Card race) will look like as the deadline looms.