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Houston Astros at Athletics

By JR·2 min read
Houston AstrosHOU(79-81)
AthleticsATH(64-96)
AT
6:40 PM PT

TLDR: Houston is 79-81 and sitting in first place in the AL West, which tells you everything about this division. The team still standing between them and the finish line is a 64-96 Athletics club that just took one off them.

SUN SEP 27, 6:40 PM
Spread
WIN
Total
Astros
(79-81)
LWLWL
Athletics
(64-96)
WLWWL

Houston comes into game 3 of its final series in Sacramento holding first place in the AL West and the tiebreaker over Texas, but it has split the first 2 against a 64-96 Athletics team. Wesneski against Perkins is closer than the ERAs suggest, because Perkins has pitched well lately. Houston's missing center fielders and relievers leave room for another one-run finish.

Astros
  • Division lead and Texas tiebreaker at stake
  • Wesneski 5-2, 3.50 ERA, 1 ER last start
  • Won the opener of this set 7-5
  • Varsho, Meyers, Matthews all out in center
  • Bullpen missing De Los Santos and Okert
  • Wesneski walked 3 in 79 pitches last time
Athletics
  • Perkins has allowed 1 run in each of his last 2
  • 3-2 in last 5, won the last game
  • Both series games decided by 2 or fewer
  • Kurtz, Rooker, Wilson, Muncy, Soderstrom all out
  • Perkins still 3-12 on the year
  • Nothing to play for at 64-96

Hayden Wesneski (5-2, 3.50) gets the ball for Houston, and he's been one of the few things holding the rotation together with Cristian Javier now on the IL. His last time out against Atlanta was typical of him lately: 1 run over 5.1 innings, but 3 walks and only 79 pitches, so the bullpen had to cover the rest. Jack Perkins (3-12, 5.90) goes for the Athletics, and his season line hides how well he's been throwing. He's allowed 1 earned run in each of his last 2 starts, including a loss to Cleveland in which he went 6 innings without walking anyone.

Hayden Wesneski
Hayden Wesneski
(5-2)·3.50 ERA
Sep 19 vs Braves
ND
5.1IP
1ER
3K
3BB
79P
09/26 Lineup
Jack Perkins
Jack Perkins
(3-12)·5.90 ERA
Sep 20 @ Guardians
L
6.0IP
1ER
4K
0BB
80P
09/26 Lineup

Houston's lineup is patched together, especially in the outfield. Daulton Varsho went on the 10-day IL this week with left wrist inflammation. Brice Matthews left the Seattle series with a leg injury, and Jake Meyers was moved to the 60-day. That's 3 center fielders gone in the span of a few days, and the Astros are also still without Carlos Correa. The A's lineup is in rougher shape. Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson and Max Muncy are all out, and Alika Williams is day-to-day. Houston is priced as the favorite anyway, which is what happens when one club is playing for October and the other is playing out the string.

The stakes are what make this one matter. Houston and Texas went into the final 4 games of the season tied at 78-80, and the Astros hold the tiebreaker because they won the season series. That means every game in Sacramento counts toward the division. Houston has split the first 2 here, winning 7-5 and then losing 6-5, and Texas is right behind them.

Houston Astros
(79-81)
09/25L@Athletics5-6
09/24W@Athletics7-5
09/23L@Mariners5-6
09/22W@Mariners7-0
09/20LvsBraves2-4
Athletics
(64-96)
09/25WvsAstros6-5
09/24LvsAstros5-7
09/23WvsAngels7-3
09/22WvsAngels9-7
09/20L@Guardians0-1

The A's aren't the easy out their record suggests. They're 3-2 in their last 5, they swept the Angels in a 2-game set before this series started, and they won the last game against Houston. Both games in this series came down to the late innings and were decided by 2 runs or fewer. Houston won the opener with 7 runs and then lost the second game despite scoring 5. For a team trying to hold a division lead, that isn't reassuring.

Houston Astros
(9)
  • 10-Day-ILDaulton Varsho (CF) — The Astros placed Varsho on the 10-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to Wednesday, due to left wrist inflammation.09/24
  • 10-Day-ILBrice Matthews (CF) — Matthews was removed from Tuesday's game against the Mariners with an apparent leg injury.09/24
  • 15-Day-ILCristian Javier (SP) — Javier was removed from Tuesday's game against the Mariners with right groin tightness.09/23
  • 15-Day-ILEnyel De Los Santos (RP) — De Los Santos secured the save Thursday against the Tigers, allowing one run on two hits and no walks in the ninth inning. He did not record a strikeout.09/19
  • 15-Day-ILSteven Okert (RP) — Okert (hamstring) will not return from the injured list before the end of the regular season.09/19
  • 60-Day-ILJake Meyers (CF) — The Astros transferred Meyers (knee) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.09/24
  • 60-Day-ILMike Burrows (SP) — The Astros returned Burrows (elbow/shoulder) from his rehab assignment Monday.09/22
  • 60-Day-ILCarlos Correa (SS) — Medical imaging on Correa's surgically repaired left ankle revealed inflammation Thursday.09/17
  • 60-Day-ILBrandon Walter (SP) — Walter (elbow) is in the midst of a throwing progression at the team's complex in West Palm Beach, Fla.06/04
Athletics
(13)
  • Day-To-DayNewAlika Williams (SS) — Williams (upper body) is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Astros.09/25
  • 10-Day-ILMax Muncy (3B) — The Athletics placed Muncy on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to left knee chondromalacia.09/22
  • 15-Day-ILGage Jump (SP) — The Athletics placed Jump on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Sept. 13, due to a left shoulder impingement.09/15
  • 60-Day-ILJ.T. Ginn (SP) — The Athletics transferred Ginn (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.09/22
  • 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske (RP) — Kriske underwent season-ending surgery Sept. 1 to address a right shoulder impingement.09/17
  • 60-Day-ILBrent Rooker (DH) — Rooker (knee) was cleared to begin a hitting progression Wednesday.09/16
  • 60-Day-ILNick Kurtz (1B) — Kurtz (thumb) began a hitting progression Wednesday.09/16
  • 60-Day-ILLuis Severino (SP) — Severino (shoulder) logged a bullpen session Saturday and is expected to have a normal offseason, per MLB.com.09/14
  • 60-Day-ILJacob Wilson (SS) — Wilson underwent left shoulder labral surgery Wednesday.09/11
  • 60-Day-ILTyler Soderstrom (LF) — The Athletics transferred Soderstrom (hip) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.08/20
  • 60-Day-ILJustin Sterner (RP) — The Athletics transferred Sterner (knee) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.08/16
  • 60-Day-ILMark Leiter Jr. (RP) — Leiter will undergo surgery Tuesday to address a right hip impingement and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.07/30
  • 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund (SP) — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.05/20

Weather at Sutter Health Park looks mild: 74 degrees, cloudy, a 5 mph breeze and almost no chance of rain. First pitch is 6:40 PM PT. The thing to watch is how long Wesneski lasts. Houston's bullpen is missing Enyel De Los Santos and Steven Okert, so a short start means the late innings fall to thinner relief. Perkins has been finishing 6 innings lately, which gives a rebuilding team a real chance to make this a close game again.

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Houston Astros at Athletics — Astros Bring a Shaky Division Lead to Sacramento for Game 3 | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush