How will Astros counter Rangers' big trades at Deadline?

HOUSTON -- The Astros have spent much of the season trying to run down the Rangers in the American League West, which is an unusual position for a team that’s owned the division in recent years. The Rangers, apparently done with playing second fiddle to their Lone Star State rivals, have aggressively overhauled their roster the past two years.

After bolstering their lineup by adding Corey Seager and Marcus Semien prior to last season and strengthening their pitching staff last winter with the additions of Jacob deGrom, Jon Gray and Nathan Eovaldi, the Rangers have landed three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and lefty starter Jordan Montgomery in deals the last two days.

The Rangers began Sunday one game ahead of the Astros, who lost to the Rays, 8-2, at Minute Maid Park.

“They’ve been loading up for the last year, year and a half,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “First they went and got deGrom, and now they went and got Scherzer. … They’re loading up. They might have more to give to get something with, you know?”

Astros general manager Dana Brown, who added veteran reliever Kendall Graveman in a trade announced Friday, said prior to Sunday’s game that the club wasn’t in the market for starting pitching despite reports that former Astros ace Justin Verlander could be dealt from the Mets.

Brown, appearing on the team’s pregame radio show on KBME-AM in Houston, didn’t rule out acquiring another relief pitcher while saying the Astros weren't currently seeking a starter. A source told MLB.com the price of adding a starter remains too high for the Astros at this point. The Trade Deadline is 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

“We would like to do a couple of more things if we could, if it makes sense price-tag wise,” Brown said. “I really wouldn’t want to give up the farm because we still have to have sustainable winning here. If there’s a deal that makes sense, maybe improving the back end of our bullpen a little bit more.

“Our guys are a little taxed. We’ve had some starters that went down, so if we could improve in that area, that would be outstanding. Right now, we’re not in the market for a starter, but if something becomes available that makes sense, we may jump on it.”

Houston’s bullpen was ranked 12th in the Majors with a 3.83 ERA entering Sunday, and the Astros’ strategy appears to be beefing up their relief corps. Graveman was a solid addition to Baker’s four high-leverage arms -- Ryan Pressly, Bryan Abreu, Hector Neris and Phil Maton -- and another quality reliever could help shorten games.

So what’s the state of Houston’s starting pitching?

The Astros entered Sunday ranked third in the Major Leagues in starters’ ERA at 3.81, but the pitching has slipped a bit the past six weeks. Houston’s starters posted a 3.26 ERA and a .244 average against in the team’s first 69 games and a 4.93 ERA and a .257 average against in the last 37 games.

Ace lefty Framber Valdez has a 9.00 ERA in three starts after the All-Star break, and Cristian Javier has a 8.56 mark in his last six starts, though he delivered a quality start Friday. Rookies Hunter Brown (7-7, 4.12 ERA) and J.P. France (6-3, 2.87 ERA) have been solid. Brandon Bielak gave up six runs (three earned) and seven hits in five innings Sunday as the fifth starter.

The Astros should get starter José Urquidy off the injured list, perhaps as early as next week. He’s been out since April 30 with shoulder inflammation. Urquidy made his fourth and likely final Minor League rehab start Sunday for Double-A Corpus Christi at San Antonio, giving up nine hits and five runs in four innings (76 pitches).

Dana Brown said he didn’t rule out going to a six-man rotation when Urquidy returns, but his re-entry into the rotation seemingly won’t have the same impact of the additions of Scherzer and Montgomery by the Rangers.

“We’re about to get Urquidy back, and hopefully we have enough,” Baker said.