HOUSTON -- No 106-win season goes unpunished.

The Astros have learned just that, amid a bizarre stretch of three games in 13 days since the end of the regular season.

An unexpected challenge stemming from Houston’s dominance has been the constant need to get reacclimated to a game-day routine, which has proven to be a learning curve for hitters and pitchers alike.

“It’s been pretty weird,” Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez said in Spanish during Tuesday’s workout at Minute Maid Park. “You’re coming off the regular season, in which you play every single day, and now all of sudden you’re playing every other day. Then you go three or four days without playing. I think it’s difficult, especially for the hitters, to have to adjust again to the rhythm and the heat of the game as we’ve had to. It’s pretty hard.”

As the top seed in the American League, the Astros secured a highly-coveted home-field advantage and a first-round bye, welcoming the Wild Card-winning Mariners for Game 1 of the ALDS five days after their final regular-season game. Houston went on to sweep that series and settle for another four-day layoff between contests, as the AL Championship Series is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

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On one hand, that means this pitching staff is as fresh as possible for a season-defining seven-game series against the Yankees. On the other, it has taken some creativity to remain focused as less successful teams continue to roll through October.

“It does change a little in terms of rhythm,” said Astros catcher Martín Maldonado, in Spanish. “But we’ve been doing a lot of work here with hitting in the cage and taking BP. That’s something we can and have to do to keep healthy and in rhythm. … Our pitchers are throwing bullpens and staying ready. They know what they have to do, and it’s just a matter of staying healthy and ready to go.”

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There have been some questions as to whether a longer wait time for the Division Series has hurt dominant teams this year, especially after the 111-win Dodgers and the defending-champions Braves bowed out prematurely, each defeated by the winner of the NL Wild Card Series.

Astros starter Justin Verlander, who is slated to take the mound in Wednesday’s Game 1, echoed some of those sentiments on Tuesday.

“You take the best teams in the regular season, have them take off five days, which we're not used to, and then have the hot team keep playing,” said Verlander. “You play a three-game series, and then come out of that and go right into keep playing, and if you're not ready, they will [be].

“Especially in a shortened series, I think you can see how easily you can lose that series.”

Perhaps Verlander felt the impacts of those off-days a little more strongly. The Astros’ ace, then just removed from an IL stint with a calf issue, allowed six earned runs over four innings in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Mariners. He was pitching on seven days’ rest.

Houston went on to win the contest in a dramatic walk-off homer by Alvarez.

“We were very fortunate [in Game 1 against Seattle] to have a comeback like that,” said Verlander. “Otherwise, we would have been in a very tough position as the best team in the American League. [We were] playing a great team, no doubt, but they were hot and they came out hot. Thank goodness we were able to get it going. But if you don't, you could be in trouble.”

Despite the challenging setup, though, Houston just keeps winning. And no one in that clubhouse is using these idle stretches as an excuse.

“I think that when we have games, we have to try and win every single game, and that has made us play less games,” said Astros infielder Alex Bregman. “But I guess it's just something that you’ve got to deal with and you’ve got to work through. And I think we’re doing a good job of staying focused and staying prepared.”

It’s a new wrinkle for a club who’s made six straight trips to the ALCS since 2017.

“It’s just a matter of staying focused on what we want,” said Maldonado. “Each of us knows what we have to do to be prepared for the next series.”