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Astros Have Found Their Confidence Again Ahead of Huge Series Against Mariners

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI | By Brad Wakai | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 8:00 PM ET

Beating a division rival will get the confidence going for anyone, and that's exactly what just happened with the Houston Astros.

Entering their three-game set against the Texas Rangers, the Astros were actually trailing in the AL West standings for the first time since back on June 1. They were having a hard time consistently scoring runs, and all of the pitching injuries they suffered seemed to be catching up to them.

But like Houston has done so often during their dynastic run, they dominated one of their divisional opponents, sweeping the Rangers and all but ending the playoff chances of their in-state rivals. That has set up a massive showdown against the Seattle Mariners that is set to get underway on Friday, with the AL West race now down to those two clubs.

Astros Are Feeling Confident Once Again

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After it appeared like the Astros were running out of steam to finish the season, they have now found a burst of energy. That comes at the perfect time, as they will now be without Yordan Alvarez for the rest of the campaign and likely the playoffs depending on how his ankle heals.

It's going to take an entire team effort to close out this season strong, but following the much-needed sweep over the Rangers, it's safe to say this group has found their confidence once again.

"That was a big series for us, in terms of not just the standings but in terms of confidence in our team," Jeremy Pena said, per Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). "The team's feeling good. Good energy. And we're going to keep building off this."

Texas hold 'em down. pic.twitter.com/0YojM2vg8B
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 18, 2025

While Houston likely won't complain about getting the day off on Thursday after such a long season, they might have preferred to immediately jump into their matchup with Seattle considering they appear to have found something at the plate once again.

The key for the Astros will be to take what they did against the Rangers -- not chasing pitches and making opposing pitchers work so they can capitalize on mistakes -- into this matchup against the Mariners.

At times, Houston has done things that reminded everyone of past versions of this team, with their ability to ambush opposing staffs with a lethal contact and power combination resulting in multiple runs going up on the board. But that hasn't happened enough this year.

They will need that to change during this final stretch of games as they make their final push to secure a postseason spot. And with their newfound confidence, that could happen.