To open a season-defining road trip, the Astros played their most complete game of September with a 7-0 win against the Seattle Mariners. Concern is still mounting, though, after Cristian Javier, Daulton Varsho, Brice Matthews and Jeremy Peña all had injury scares. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss how the team can overcome the injuries and what it may do next to bolster its roster before giving some love to Isaac Paredes, who is on pace for a career year.

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After being swept by the Braves, the Astros no longer control their playoff destiny. The sobering three games forced the often-reserved Yordan Alvarez to call a team meeting and speak up. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss Alvarez's frustration and the state of a teetering Astros team that must save its season during a six-game road trip through Seattle and Sacramento.

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Yordan Alvarez hit his 40th home run of the season on Thursday, becoming the fifth player in Astros history with a 40-homer season while reigniting the debate about his AL MVP candidacy. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss Alvarez's status in the MVP race and where his 40 home runs rank in Astros history before reacting to the news that Carlos Correa will not return to the club this season.

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Carlos Correa's potential return as a second baseman illustrates the complications presented by Houston's roster construction. Those problems aren't going away, either, and it will be up to Houston's new general manager to solve them. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss the biggest priority for whoever the Astros hire to be their GM — whether it is the aforementioned roster construction, thin farm system or simply knowing whether or not they have autonomy to make decisions.

Read Chandler's story about Carlos Correa and the Astros roster crunch here: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7595192/2026/09/15/carlos-correa-return-astros-gm-challenge/?unlocked_article_code=1.BVE.zuLK.j1OLLrIzStJM&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

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The Tampa Bay Rays, armed with the best record in the American League, outclassed the Astros in a series sweep at Tropicana Field that pared Houston's AL West lead to one game. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss the three-game series, Yordan Alvarez's ankle-related absence, Jeremy Peña's continued struggles and manager Joe Espada's decision to not intentionally walk Junior Caminero in the series opener. The two then discuss the revelation that Carlos Correa could play second base upon his return to the team.

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Cam Smith homered in all three games of the Astros' series win in Philadelphia, including a go-ahead, solo shot in the ninth inning on Thursday against Phillies closer Jhoan Duran. Is the aircraft carrier finally breaking out? Former Astros outfielder Josh Reddick joins Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome to discuss that, Yordan Alvarez's continued power outage, Hunter Brown's late-season switch to becoming a sinkerballer and Carlos Correa's continued progress as he attempts to make a late-season return.

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The Astros started their six-game gauntlet with a gutty win against the Phillies on Tuesday night. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic’s Chandler Rome go live before Game 2 on Wednesday, discussing Hayden Wesneski’s continued excellence, Yordan Alvarez's prolonged homer-less drought, the bullpen showing some cracks in the foundation and how the lineup must function for the last 17 games.

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The Astros dropped two of three against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a series that saw Houston's bullpen take a substantial hit while Yordan Alvarez broke out of his home run drought. Tyler Stafford and The Athletic's Chandler Rome discuss Steven Okert's injury and how the Astros' bullpen may respond, Alvarez's career-high 38 home runs and how the team's top-heavy lineup can create any length.

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