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The Houston Astros are the hottest teams in the American League. Joe Espada's club has won nine of their last 10 games, and has managed to open up a four-game edge in the AL West. The Seattle Mariners have been treading water since the All-Star break, while the 'Stros have been surging.
Not only has Houston raced ahead of the Mariners and left the Texas Rangers in the dust, but with about six weeks left in the 2024 season, the Astros are within striking distance of the top spot in the league. Currently, the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles are knotted at the top, but the Astros trail their AL East counterparts by just four games in the loss column.
Throw in the fact that two of the Astros' top performers are looking to come back very soon, and Houston could make a push for the No. 1 overall seed in the AL playoffs. Though Kyle Tucker still needs to make some progress before his return to H-Town, another one of the Astros' best players should be back this week.
Astros News: Justin Verlander to return on Wednesday
The Astros have patiently been awaiting the return of Justin Verlander, and it appears as though the former Cy Young Award winner will toe the rubber on Wednesday. Verlander completed two rehab starts recently and threw a bullpen session over the weekend.
Verlander has been out with a neck issue that robbed the right-hander of over two months. Verlander missed being part of the Astros Opening Day roster earlier this season after suffering a shoulder injury during spring training. The Astros need Verlander at his best in order to contend with the top teams in the AL, and Espada is hoping that the 41-year-old is up to the challenge.
Astros News: Ryan Pressly landed on IL
The Astros have a tough stretch of games coming up and they'll be without one of the top relievers. Setup man Ryan Pressly will miss at least the next two weeks after being placed on the IL with a low back strain. Pressly is 0-3 on the year with a 3.86 ERA in 49 appearances out of the Houston bullpen.
The Astros called upon Seth Martinez from Triple-A Sugar Land to fill the void for now. Martinez has pitched in 41 games for Houston this season and owns a 2.92 ERA with 34 punch outs in 49.1 innings of work. The Astros will be leaning heavily on Josh Hader, Bryan Abreu, and Tayler Scott while Pressly is on the mend.
Astros News: Alex Bregman's minor injury
Alex Bregman missed the Astros' weekend series against the Chicago White Sox. But let's face it, if Houston needed Bregman to upend the White Sox, they've got bigger problems. Bregman was absent with an elbow injury, but got some good news over the weekend.
Bregman underwent an MRI and it showed no structural damage. That's certainly a relief based on how well the Astros' third baseman has performed of late. Over his last 15 games, Bregman is hitting .303/.333/.606 with five homers and eight RBI. Look for Bregman to return to Espada's lineup this week.