May 27, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Jose Altuve (27) celebrates with first baseman Christian Walker (8) after a two-run home run against the Athletics in the sixth inning at Daikin Park. Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Astros Upcoming Schedule Presents Great Opportunity To Gain Ground In Division Race

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Anders Pryor | Last updated May 28, 2025 5:00 PM ET

After a dramatic offseason, the Houston Astros have been able to keep themselves afloat with their 29-25 record despite their plethora of starting pitching injuries. The offense and bullpen have been able to provide sparks when the team has needed it the most.

It's not just the Jose Altuve show, either. The supporting cast has been doing its job.

Jeremy Pena has reached new heights, slashing .298/.362/.449 after not batting over .270 the last three years. He's batting .316/.371/.463 in the month of May. Jake Meyers is also having a career year, slashing .299/.356/.415. Isaac Paredes has been a solid, young band-aid at third base since the departure of Alex Bregman, slashing .270/.371/.480 with eleven home runs.

The Astros have been holding steady, but they have a great opportunity to gain some ground in the competitive American League West.

Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Houston is currenlty 1.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners for first place. But they have an upcoming schedule filled with likely victories that they can use to not only catch them, but put the foot on the necks of the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels.

Once they finish up their series against the Athletics, the Astros will get the Tampa Bay Rays at home for three games. Then they'll head on the road for a nice four-game soft spot against the Pittsburgh Pirates before heading to Cleveland to face the Guardians in a three game set.

Then they'll come back home to face the Chicago White Sox for three games, the Minnesota Twins for three games, and then head over to West Sacramento to face the Athletics again. After that, they'll have an opportunity to really gain ground with a trip to the Los Angeles Angels.

Houston's about to have almost a month-long stretch of facing teams with losing records, that are in their own division, or both.

The Angels are currently on a four-game losing streak, but they were previously on an eight game winning streak that included an impressive sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the Rangers have been up and down all year on offense, the pitching has remained constant. Every win in the next 30 days counts extra for the Astros.

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

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