Astros hot streak continues: Cristian Javier makes MLB history

Cristian Javier made MLB history in his most recent start for the surging Houston Astros.

Houston Astros right-hander Cristian Javier is hotter than Hansel right now, as he and his team are absolutely on fire of late.

The Astros have won a league-best four games in a row, winning of eight of their last 10 games. Houston has a commanding 12.5-game lead over the second-place Texas Rangers in the AL West. But most impressively, Javier has struck out 27 batters in his last two starts for Houston. This is the most over a two-game stretch where a pitcher has allowed only one hit in the Modern Era.

The only batter to get a hit off Javier since June 25 was Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani, who hit his 18th homer on the season off the Astros starter in the top of the first inning on Friday.

Cristian Javier and the Houston Astros are hotter than Hansel right now!

With his latest gem of a pitching performance, Javier improves to 6-3 on the season for Houston. His ERA stands at 2.58 on the campaign, as he has not allowed more than one earned run in his last three starts. Javier has gone seven innings in his two previous outings, striking out 13 New York Yankees in the combined no-hitter on June 25, and then punching out 14 Angels on Friday.

It has been quite the ride of late for Javier, who was not starting games out of spring training. He pretty much assumed this role in the latter part of April, but it seems to have been for good since the middle of May. All the while, the Astros have the second best record in all of baseball, only trailing the Yankees. At this time, it feels like these contenders are destined to meet in October.

Houston is the reigning AL champs, as the Astros have won the pennant three of the last five seasons. While they have not won the Fall Classic since getting their first in franchise history in 2017, the Astros are on a shortlist of teams who can realistically win it all later this fall. In the meantime, Houston should feel comfortable about the gargantuan lead it has in the AL West race.

It will be so hard for Javier to top his last two starts, but the guy is on fire and he is so going to try.