HOUSTON -- The best news the Astros encountered on Sunday came prior to the game against the Mariners at Minute Maid Park, when rehabbing starting pitcher José Urquidy threw a simulated game with injured stars Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve standing in the batter’s box to track pitches.

Considering the Astros were held to six runs in losing three of four games to the Mariners to end the first half of the season, including Sunday’s 3-1 loss in which they managed three hits, the thought of getting Alvarez and Altuve -- both of whom are battling oblique injuries -- back in the lineup by the end of the month is reason for optimism.

“I think the best days are ahead,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “The best days have been ahead since we lost all those guys, and the key is to get them back, but to get them back ready. You don’t want to get them back when you’re not ready. ... They’re on the way; they’re real close. We’ve just got to win some games and stay where we are until we get them back.”

The return of Alvarez and Altuve should breathe some life into an Astros team that hits the All-Star break at 50-41 and two games behind the Rangers in the American League West. For the first time since 2016, Houston is looking up at another team in the AL West standings at the break. In each of the previous five full seasons, the Astros have been in first place at the break.

“We’ve struggled a little bit with injuries and stuff like that, but that’s part of the game,” All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker said. “I thought we played well with a lot of guys filling in their roles. I’m happy with that, but we’ve just got to stay healthy in the second half.”

Alvarez (28 games on the IL) and Altuve (49 games) have been in the lineup together for only 13 games this year, with Houston going 10-3 in those games. Meanwhile, outfielder Michael Brantley has missed the entire season after suffering a pair of setbacks in his return from shoulder surgery.

“It sucks not having Yordan, Michael and Jose in the lineup,” said Mauricio Dubón, who filled in for Altuve for most of the season. “I feel we can do better. There’s always room for improvement, and I think that’s what we’re going to do in the second half.”

Meanwhile, the Astros’ injury-battered starting rotation should see the return of the steady Urquidy around the beginning of August, providing another boost. Houston has held its pitching together despite losing three-fifths of its rotation to injury, including Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm surgery) and Luis Garcia (Tommy John surgery) for the remainder of the season.

Four rookie starting pitchers have logged 35 starts in Houston’s 91 games so far this season, and that doesn’t include Brandon Bielak, who gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits in five-plus innings Sunday. Still, the Astros were ranked fifth in the Major Leagues in starters’ ERA entering Sunday (3.74).

Houston scored only two runs in the final 16 innings of the series against the Mariners, with both coming on solo homers by catcher Martín Maldonado.

“I don’t know if we’re struggling to score runs or they just pitched the heck out of us,” Baker said. “They come out of there with some power arms on us, without some of our power in there to counteract their power. So they pitched the heck out of us. …

“If anybody had told me we’d be two games out with all the mishaps and injuries and different things that we’ve had, you’d say I’d be happy to have that. Just not happy at the moment.”

Although it will cost him playing time, Dubón is eager for Alvarez and Altuve to return to action, but he’s confident the Astros will push hard for another division title in the second half.

“We’ve got dogs in this clubhouse,” Dubón said. “Everybody in here is capable. It’s something that we’re not surprised [to be two games out]. … It would have made it a lot easier [if they were healthy], but we trust the talent we have here in this clubhouse.”