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Houston Astros hat and glove in the dugout during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. William Purnell-Imagn Images

Astros to Start Resurgent Luis Garcia in Series Opener with Blue Jays

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

The Houston Astros and the Toronto Blue Jays will square off in a battle of division leaders when they begin their three-game series on Tuesday at Rogers Centre.

Tuesday’s opener and Wednesday’s game two are set for 6:07 p.m. central. The finale on Thursday is set for 2:07 p.m. The Astros (78-66) and the Blue Jays (82-61) were both off on Monday. The series represents one last chance for Houston to make up ground on Toronto in the race for the top two seeds in the AL playoffs. The Astros are 4.5 games behind the Blue Jays.

Per Chandler Rome of The Athletic on X (formerly Twitter), the Astros have set their rotation for the series. The Blue Jays had not released their as of Monday evening. They were returning from New York after losing two of three games against the Yankees. The Astros are coming off losing two out of three games at the Texas Rangers.

Tuesday: RHP Luis Garcia

Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Garcia (1-0, 4.50) was supposed to start for Houston on Sunday before he was pushed back for a couple of days. Manager Joe Espada said Garcia was fine, but the Astros wanted to go with left-hander Framber Valdez on regular rest. Garcia — who made his first start in more than two years last Monday after Tommy John surgery — should be well rested.

In his first start he allowed three hits and three earned runs in six innings against the Los Angeles Angels. He struck out six and walked none. Toronto should not expect a pitcher trying to build up for the Majors. Garcia appears to be there.

Wednesday: RHP Jason Alexander

Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The 32-year-old journeyman has been pressed into service as a starter thanks to injuries across the rotation, and Alexander (4-1, 4.68) has shined. The former reliever is 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA in his last seven games, all starts, with 38 strikeouts and 10 walks in 38.2 innings. He is one of those surprise players that every team needs if they hope to make a playoff run.

He started the year as a reliever who was called up in May from Triple-A Sugar Land, his first MLB appearance since 2022 with Milwaukee. He made five additional relief appearances and has 52 strikeouts and 22 walks in 59.2 innings. He is closing in on a career-high in innings, set in 2022 with 71.2 innings. Batters are hitting .258 against him.

RHP Cristian Javier

Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Javier (1-2, 4.43) returned from his Tommy John surgery earlier this season. The right-hander has made just five starts, with 20 strikeouts and 12 walks in 20.1 innings. He lost his last start against the New York Yankees, as he allowed six hits and four earned runs in 4.1 innings. He struck out four and walked three.

His length on the mound has been inconsistent. Javier had made just one start of six innings. Three of those starts have been under five innings. Houston likely needs some coverage from Garcia and Alexander to keep the bullpen fresh if Javier is unable to reach the five-inning mark. The good news is that batters are hitting just .200 against him.

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

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