Jeremy Peña, who homered twice Sunday in Chicago, and Yordan Alvarez pace a top-heavy Astros lineup that general manager Dana Brown hopes to lengthen before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Erick Fedde looks down during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros’ Taylor Trammell celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Peña celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Peña celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco kicks the mound during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Chicago White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami of Japan, celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Chicago White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami, left, of Japan, celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Chicago White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami, of Japan, celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco throws against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco throws against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Peña (3) celebrates with Yordan Alvarez after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Peña celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Peña hits a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros manager Joe Espada, bottom right, takes the ball from starting pitcher Ronel Blanco, second from top right, during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco reacts during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco reacts during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco reacts after Chicago White Sox’s Miguel Vargas hit a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
CHICAGO — During a weekend series against the White Sox, the Houston Astros lost a starting pitcher to a foot injury in the opener and saw their lower-leverage relievers struggle in a loss in the finale. Before Sunday’s defeat, though, general manager Dana Brown echoed his stance on the trade deadline: Adding offense is the Astros’ priority.
“We would anticipate that we’re going to be buyers,” Brown told the team’s pregame radio show. “So it would be really nice to add to our offense in the outfield. We’ve been looking for a left-handed bat, but at this point we’ll take whatever production we can get in the outfield.”
Houston’s play the past week has enhanced the likelihood of Brown’s first comment. After being swept at home by Baltimore out of the All-Star break, the Astros have won five of six games, sweeping the Marlins and taking two of three from the AL Central leaders in Chicago. A 12-3 loss Sunday prevented another sweep, but the Astros still ended the day two games out of first place in the AL West.
Article continues below this ad
“We’ve been playing great ball,” shortstop Jeremy Peña said. “We’ve been playing great ball on both sides of the game — pitching, hitting, defense. We’ve got to keep going.”
Peña homered in his first two at-bats Sunday, continuing his torrid pace the last two-plus weeks. A home run by Taylor Trammell comprised the rest of the Astros’ damage, perhaps underscoring Brown’s point.
The top three hitters in the Astros’ lineup — Peña, Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes — combined to drive in 14 of 18 runs they scored in their three-game sweep of the Marlins. Paredes drove in all four of their runs Saturday in a 4-1 win against the White Sox. Relying so heavily on the top of the lineup seems like a suboptimal formula, as impactful as those three hitters have been.
Article continues below this ad
A 9-5 win Friday featured wider impact. Peña, Alvarez and Paredes combined to reach base seven times but drove in no runs. Hitters behind them capitalized on the traffic.
Sunday displayed the flip side. After Peña, Alvarez was hitless in two at-bats and walked twice. Paredes went hitless, and the rest of the lineup totaled only Trammell’s solo homer.
BATTERS
AVG
OBA
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
SO
SB
CS
E
Team Totals
.242
.316
3593
489
869
158
8
146
467
351
869
37
14
44
Alvarez
.323
.431
381
72
123
20
0
34
77
70
79
1
0
2
Peña
.319
.373
226
47
72
9
0
11
30
17
40
8
1
5
Correa
.279
.369
122
22
34
8
0
3
16
18
26
1
0
1
Delgado
.273
.314
33
3
9
1
0
1
4
2
5
0
0
2
Paredes
.260
.352
365
43
95
18
1
14
57
40
64
0
0
6
Shewmake
.256
.272
78
10
20
4
0
3
9
2
13
0
0
2
Allen
.250
.295
96
14
24
3
0
1
11
6
23
2
0
2
Trammell
.238
.299
126
16
30
5
1
4
13
9
46
3
1
1
Diaz
.233
.261
189
20
44
9
0
6
23
7
32
0
1
2
Walker
.232
.307
380
51
88
20
1
20
61
34
101
0
0
0
Altuve
.232
.297
319
48
74
14
1
12
30
29
76
2
2
3
Dezenzo
.232
.303
69
11
16
4
0
1
3
7
27
1
0
1
Harris
.226
.286
31
4
7
0
1
0
4
2
6
2
0
0
Loperfido
.216
.314
102
13
22
7
1
1
12
14
31
1
1
1
Vázquez
.214
.267
187
18
40
7
0
5
23
14
38
1
0
0
Smith
.206
.284
344
41
71
13
1
13
36
33
92
10
1
4
Meyers
.206
.264
136
14
28
6
0
3
11
10
30
1
2
0
Matthews
.197
.250
208
23
41
5
1
7
22
15
71
4
4
1
Wade
.182
.328
55
9
10
2
0
2
10
12
14
0
0
0
Spence
.179
.258
28
2
5
1
0
0
1
2
11
0
1
1
Price
.167
.231
12
1
2
1
0
0
0
1
6
0
0
1
Cole
.157
.189
51
4
8
1
0
3
8
1
21
0
0
1
Johnson
.143
.294
14
1
2
0
0
0
0
2
3
0
0
0
Whitcomb
.130
.167
23
2
3
0
0
2
5
1
11
0
0
0
Salazar
.056
.227
18
0
1
0
0
0
1
3
3
0
0
0
___
PITCHERS
W
L
ERA
G
GS
SV
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
SO
Team Totals
52
55
4.74
107
107
31
947.1
854
536
499
147
462
939
Meyers
0
0
0.00
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Santa
0
1
1.17
10
0
0
15.1
8
6
2
1
6
9
Hader
3
1
1.35
22
0
12
20
10
3
3
1
8
33
VanWey
1
0
1.50
5
0
0
6
5
2
1
0
0
5
Okert
3
1
2.09
51
1
0
51.2
31
13
12
5
12
52
Lambert
8
5
3.03
17
17
0
98
72
33
33
11
38
94
Brown
2
1
3.45
9
9
0
47
32
20
18
5
28
50
Pearson
1
0
3.60
16
0
1
20
16
10
8
1
12
16
Blubaugh
4
2
3.74
39
0
0
65
51
28
27
8
32
68
King
2
3
3.74
43
0
6
45.2
46
21
19
6
16
36
Teng
5
6
4.35
25
10
0
68.1
62
37
33
10
30
67
De Los Santos
1
3
4.41
46
0
5
49
47
27
24
6
12
47
Sousa
0
0
4.50
8
0
0
6
6
4
3
0
5
6
Arrighetti
7
5
4.60
17
17
0
88
68
47
45
12
50
87
Abreu
2
3
5.05
39
0
6
35.2
29
22
20
7
28
46
Roa
0
1
5.19
7
0
0
8.2
10
5
5
1
7
6
Bolton
0
1
5.40
8
3
1
20
21
12
12
3
14
22
Ullola
0
0
5.40
3
0
0
5
4
3
3
2
1
7
Imai
6
4
5.59
14
14
0
58
49
36
36
9
36
71
Burrows
4
9
5.99
18
17
0
94.2
112
69
63
21
35
75
McCullers
2
3
6.86
8
8
0
39.1
38
32
30
7
22
43
Murray
0
0
7.43
8
0
0
13.1
19
11
11
1
7
8
Weiss
0
3
7.62
9
2
0
26
35
24
22
8
20
30
Blanco
0
1
8.10
2
2
0
10
6
9
9
4
6
12
France
0
0
8.10
3
0
0
6.2
6
6
6
1
5
4
Salazar
0
0
9.00
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
Alexander
1
1
9.33
4
2
0
18.1
21
19
19
4
8
14
Javier
0
1
9.37
7
4
0
16.1
21
17
17
3
15
14
Gordon
0
0
11.57
4
1
0
9.1
21
12
12
6
3
11
Muñoz
0
0
15.75
3
0
0
4
7
7
7
3
6
6
Entering Sunday, the Astros had extracted the lowest OPS in the majors from their outfielders, a .663 mark. Right fielder Cam Smith, back in the lineup this series after a break to work on his swing, hit a key home run Friday but went 1-for-11 in the three games. Left fielders were 3-for-11 with two RBIs in the series, and center fielders 3-for-12 with one RBI, the homer by Trammell on Sunday.
Brown’s assertion that offensive help does not need to be left-handed marked a public deviation from previous comments and his long-held desire for lineup balance but acknowledged the Astros’ baseline need for more sources of production. Brown added later on the pregame radio show that “any type of offensive upgrade that can lengthen the lineup would be our focus.”
Article continues below this ad
If the Astros do forgo pitching pursuits at the deadline, it will place an onus on their current rotation options to perform. Hunter Brown’s seven scoreless innings Saturday were encouraging, as Houston needs its ace to harness that familiar form after a rocky return from a shoulder injury. Losing Spencer Arrighetti to the injured list Friday was a less heartening development.
Arrighetti’s rotation spot might have been tenuous anyway, given his struggles since a brilliant May, but his indefinite absence now only heightens the need for starters returning from surgeries — and Tatsuya Imai — to pitch effectively. The Astros have not announced how they plan to fill Arrighetti’s rotation spot, which recurs Wednesday in Anaheim, but activating Hayden Wesneski is one option.
Wesneski is returning from Tommy John surgery. Ronel Blanco made his second start back from elbow surgery Sunday at Rate Field. In those two outings, Blanco has allowed just six hits, but four have been home runs. His nine runs allowed reflect the adjustment period that might be expected for any pitcher returning to the majors after arm surgery and an extended layoff.
Blanco has looked healthy, and he and manager Joe Espada cited signs of progress between his first and second starts. Blanco said he felt his stuff was better and his breaking pitches were sharper. Espada noted that Blanco was efficient enough to begin the sixth inning at 74 pitches, before Miguel Vargas beat a fastball above the zone for a tiebreaking two-run home run.
“I thought there’s some good signs of what he’s doing,” Espada said.
Article continues below this ad
Results will ultimately outweigh those, though, especially if the Astros focus their efforts on offensive help before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. That three of their lower-leverage relievers — two recalled from Triple-A this weekend — combined to allow seven runs after Blanco’s exit Sunday might highlight the need for bullpen help, as well, but it seems unlikely Houston can address all areas.
Eight days remain for its front office to enact any pursuits. Dana Brown, in his radio appearance Sunday, did not rule out trading from a “major-league surplus” on the pitching side to consummate a deal but hedged that “it has to make sense.” A winning week has, at least, put being a buyer back in that realm. Getting help for a top-heavy lineup now appears the Astros’ goal.
“I feel like we’re all doing a great job of bringing a collective plan to the plate,” Peña said Sunday. “And we’re seeing some results. We’ve got to keep building off that and going from there.”
Article continues below this ad