Houston's home stretch: Previewing final month of '24

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart's Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Astros woke up Wednesday with 30 games remaining in the regular season and with a seventh American League West title in the past eight seasons in their crosshairs. After losing six of their past eight games, Houston (70-62) has a tenuous 3 1/2-game lead in the division over second-place Seattle (67-66).

If the Astros reach 90 wins, that will put them in great shape to win the division. They would need to go 20-10 in the final 30 games to get 90 wins -- a feat that will be easier to achieve if they can get All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker back from a right shin injury that’s kept him out since June 3.

Here’s a breakdown of the Astros’ final nine series (29 games) of the regular season:

Thursday-Sunday vs. Royals: Kansas City has played Houston extremely well in recent years, and that includes a three-game sweep of Houston at Kaufman Stadium in April during which the Astros were outscored by 20 runs (28-8). The Royals, led by MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr., have one of baseball’s biggest surprise teams this year and are in contention for the AL Central or a Wild Card berth.
Prediction: 2-2

Sept. 2, 4-5 at Reds: Cincinnati has steadily fallen out of contention in the National League Central, but this series will be anything but a layup. The Astros are 2-10 against the Reds in Interleague Play, getting swept by them in Houston last year and getting swept in Cincinnati in 2019 -- the only team to sweep the Astros that season.
Prediction: 2-1

Sept. 6-8 vs. D-backs: The reigning NL champions were no one-hit wonders. The D-backs are pushing the Dodgers in the NL West race behind the resurgence of Eugenio Suárez and Corbin Carroll and a rotation anchored by Zac Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt. They lead the Majors in runs scored and can create chaos on the bases.
Prediction: 2-1

Sept. 10-12 vs. A’s: Oakland’s final visit to Minute Maid Park should be a great chance for Houston to win a series. The Astros are 7-3 against the A’s this year, outscoring them 44-25.
Prediction: 2-1

Sept. 13-15 at Angels: Another winnable series for the Astros against the Halos, who have one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball. Los Angeles has split the previous six meetings between the two clubs, but the Angels are 7-17 in August (entering Wednesday).
Prediction: 2-1

Sept. 16-18 at Padres: This is shaping up as a massive series. The Padres are one of the hottest teams in baseball, having gone 25-8 after splitting their first 100 games. They can pitch, they can hit and they can defend as they contend with the Dodgers and D-backs in the NL West.
Prediction: 1-2

Sept. 19-22 vs. Angels: See above.
Prediction: 3-1

Sept. 23-25 vs. Mariners: Houston’s final home series of the season could have huge ramifications in the AL West. The Astros are 4-6 against the Mariners this year, so they would need to sweep the series to get the tiebreaker. Houston won the AL West last year because it had the tiebreaker over Texas.
Prediction: 2-1

Sept. 27-29 at Guardians: If the Astros enter the final weekend of the series needing some wins, Progressive Field won’t be an easy place to play -- especially if the Guardians (who are 40-24 at home) are pushing for playoff seeding for a division title.
Prediction: 1-2