HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The Seattle Mariners rocked Astros ace Framber Valdez with eight hits and three earned runs, but Alex Bregman, Jason Heyward, and Kyle Tucker launched home runs to do away with Houston’s closest American League West challenger on Tuesday and lock up the ballclub’s fourth straight division title.
The Astros dropped the Mariners, 4-3, to qualify for the postseason, which Houston will start in the AL Wild Card Series against the team with the third-best wild-card record. Houston had a chance at a bye into the AL Division Series and needed the second-seeded Cleveland Guardians to lose their remaining games beginning Tuesday. But the AL Central champs defeated Cincinnati to deny the Astros.
Houston might not know its first playoff opponent until the final day of the regular season. The Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers currently hold the second and third wild-card spots, but the Minnesota Twins, Seattle, the Boston Red Sox, and the Tampa Bay Rays are still in contention. Five games separate these teams.
The best-of-three AL Wild Card Series begins on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The Astros host all series games, including a winner-take-all third game, if necessary. The winner advances to the best-of-five AL Division Series against the Guardians, which begins Saturday, Oct. 5, in Cleveland.
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To wrap up the season, the Astros play their final home game on Wednesday afternoon against Seattle and three away matchups against Cleveland.
