Aug 28, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) hits a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning at Daikin Park. Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Two-Homer Game Shows Astros Free Agent Splash Is Finding His Rhythm

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Kyle Morton | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Houston Astros are in a tight race to win the American League West division, and they need every contribution they can possibly get up and down the roster to hold off the Seattle Mariners.

A cold stretch in the first half of August saw the Astros' lead in the division shrink from 4.5 games on the day of the July 31 MLB trade deadline down to just a half-game on Aug. 15 as they swooned while the Mariners climbed.

But a subsequent cold stretch from Seattle has allowed Houston to build their lead back up to two games, thanks in part to a tight 4-3 win at Daikin Park over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night.

Christian Walker Crushes Two Home Runs in Tight Astros Win

Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The top player for Houston in the important win was first baseman Christian Walker, the team's top offseason acquisition who was signed to a lucrative three-year, $60 million deal to add a right-handed power bat and steady presence at first base during this window of World Series contention.

Walker has struggled for most of the year. At the end of May, an 0-for-3 performance against the Mariners sent his OPS under the .600 mark to .591. That level of production for a player who was coming off a .803 effort in 2024 and a career-best figure of .830 in 2023 was shocking.

He's been rounding back into form ever since, though, slowly but surely getting into a groove before picking up the pace of late. His OPS did not find any steady footing above the .700 mark until last week, and thanks to a monstrous performance on Thursday where he hit two home runs, he's up to .718 entering Friday.

Oppo for Walker! #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/ZUt9Q1Qcco
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 28, 2025

In the bottom of the first inning, he tucked a 3-2 offering from Colorado pitcher Kyle Freeland over the right field wall just barely on the right side of the foul pole to give Houston a 2-0 lead. After the Astros extended the lead to 3-0, the Rockies rallied back when Ezequiel Tovar and Yanquiel Fernández hit homers in successive innings to tie the game at three.

With both teams getting quality efforts from their respective bullpens, the game was still tied at that score when Walker came to the plate in the bottom of the eighth to face lefty Luis Peralta. With the platoon advantage, Walker wasted no time in smacking a first-pitch 94 mph four-seam fastball deep over the left field wall to provide the decisive run.

ANOTHA ONE. pic.twitter.com/ZSotUshBrA
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 28, 2025

With Seattle not in action on Thursday night, Walker's heroics allowed Houston to pad its narrow lead in the division. With the opportunity to avoid a possible wild card series -- where the Astros lost last year -- every win is crucial.

The fact that Walker has been the one to make that happen for them as of late is a phenomenal sign for Houston's outlook in the postseason given his uncharacteristic slump to start 2025.