Astros News: Yordan Álvarez injury update, AL West race, Justin Verlander

While the Houston Astros failed to clinch a playoff spot, the weekend still treated them quite well. They took three out of four against the Angels, although the one loss was a pretty brutal one, as it came as a direct result of one of Josh Hader's worst appearances of the season. Still, winning three out of four, regardless of the opponent, is something that most would take every time.

That result wasn't quite enough to secure the division title, as the Mariners decided to win some baseball games. However, Seattle's loss to the Rangers on Sunday means that if Houston wins just a single game in their upcoming series against the Mariners this week, they will win yet another AL West title thanks to their commanding five-game lead.

As to how we got to this point this week and what could be coming down the pipe for the Astros, that is decidedly more complicated.

Astros' Yordan Álvarez injury update was not the good news fans hoped for

With the playoffs coming up very fast, pretty much the last thing the Astros needed was another injury to a key player. There is no surefire, hot-shot prospect down in the minors they can bring up to save the day, and the list of possible replacements gets even shorter when considering postseason eligibility. Unfortunately, that may be the reality the Astros could be facing, as Yordan Álvarez was forced to leave Sunday's game early after injuring his knee on a slide at second base.

Unfortunately, the news after the game didn't get much better. Álvarez's injury was described as a knee contusion by the team, but Houston's track record of underselling injuries publicly is well-documented at this point. More importantly, manager Joe Espada said Alvarez is "not great" when asked about him after the game, but declined to give anymore details beyond that. As a result, fans can probably expect Álvarez to be out for at least the first couple of games in this next series, if not significantly longer than that.

MLB Standings: Astros have all but locked up the AL West

While clinching over the weekend was always going to be tough, facing the team that could theoretically catch the Astros in Seattle for a three-game set is likely to ramp up fans' blood pressure until the division is clinched. Again, all Houston needs to do is win a single game in the upcoming series against the Mariners to lock the AL West up.

Even if the Mariners manage to sweep the Astros in Houston, all would not be lost. The Astros' lead in the division would be just two games and Seattle would own the tiebreaker, but Houston would still control their own destiny. The Astros would just need to win two out of three against a Guardians team that has already punched their ticket to the playoffs, regardless of what the Mariners do in their season-ending series against Oakland. That would still be enough to seal the deal.

Justin Verlander appears unlikely to make Astros playoff rotation

Any Astros fans who have watched Justin Verlander since he returned from the IL know that he has looked like a shadow of his former self, which has caused speculation about the Astros' playoff roster and his possible inclusion. His most recent start might be the most damning evidence here as, despite the fact he was up against one of the worst teams in baseball in the Angels, Verlander somehow gave up six runs in less than five innings of work.

Apparently, the Astros are coming around to the idea that the present-day version of Verlander is one they cannot rely upon. According to the most recent report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale, it is currently unlikely that Verlander would be included in Houston's playoff rotation. While probably the right decision, especially with Verlander's comments that he returned too early from his neck injury, it would be a sad end to an otherwise great partnership between the Astros and the future Hall of Famer.

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