Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) reacts after retiring the side against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning at Daikin Park. Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Astros’ Struggles at Plate Lead to Second Straight Losing Month in August

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 8:00 PM ET

On July 1, the Houston Astros appeared to be in control of the American League West division. The franchise had a seven-game lead in the division. Now, as September begins, the race is as close as ever.

Houston fell to the Los Angeles Angels, 3-0, on Sunday, the end of a month in which, for the second straight month, the Astros finished with a losing record. The Astros (75-62) have lost their last two games and four of their last seven. It trimmed Houston’s lead over the Seattle Mariners to two games entering September.

Houston’s Lost August

Erik Williams-Imagn Images

As MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart pointed out, the Astros wrapped up a 13-15 August, good for the franchise’s second straight losing month, as he pointed out on X (formerly Twitter). After Sunday’s loss, Houston had not scored a run in 15 innings. Chandler Rome of the Athletic also pointed out on X that Houston had scored two runs or fewer in 11 of its last 18 games.

The Astros failed to take advantage of the Mariners’ cold streak in the middle of the month. Seattle started August by winning of its first 10 games of the month, cutting the Astros’ lead to one game. But, afterward, the Mariners struggled. From Aug. 13-23, Seattle went 2-8, a stretch that gave Houston a chance to build a bigger lead.

Houston was unable to do so, at least not appreciably. In that same stretch the Astros were only able to go 5-5 and increase their lead to three games. Along the way, the Astros were shut out four times, including in three straight games across three games against the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers.

The dry spells are becoming more pronounced. In August, Houston was able to win just one game by scoring fewer than four runs, which was on Friday against the Angels, when the Astros won, 2-0. With losses on Saturday and Sunday, Houston has scored three runs in its last three games.

The downturn is easy to identify — offense. Houston’s slash for August was its worst since its slash for the start of the season in March and April.

March/April: .236/.310/.357 with a .667 OPS, with 25 home runs and 110 RBI.

August: .238/.306/.385 with a .691 OPS, with 31 home runs and 96 RBI.

The RBI total is Houston’s worst for any month. It’s the only month the Astros failed to drive in at least 100 runs. If the Astros are going to hold off the Mariners, or even the Texas Rangers, in the AL West race, then the bats must turn around down the stretch.

This article first appeared on Houston Astros on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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