Going into July, the Houston Astros have to feel like they are in a pretty comfortable position. They sit 6.5 games up on the second place Seattle Mariners in the AL West. Owning the second best record in the American League, it is hard to imagine Houston losing their grip on a playoff bid in 2025. However, the division race could still get interesting, as the team's injury luck just went from bad to worse.
The news broke on Monday that Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured rib. Common sense tells us that there will be more to this move, as it is hard to imagine a rib fracture will resolve itself in just 10 days. At this point, it seems likely that Houston's breakout star will be out through the All-Star break at the very least.
Of course no one wishes for injuries, even if they befall your biggest rival. But the Mariners now have a golden opporunity to capitalize on a crack in Houston's foundation, and they're poised to really tighten up this division race in the coming weeks.
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Mariners could make AL West race interesting after Jeremy Peña injury
People say one person cannot make that big of a difference in team sports, but the absence of Peña in the Astros lineup will most certainly result in decreased offensive production. Peña is having a career year, hitting .322 with 11 homers and 40 RBI to go along with 15 stolen bases.
The Astros have a little bit of time to figure out how they will compensate for losing this high-level talent, as they start a three-game set with the league-worst Colorado Rockies on Monday, Even without Peña, Houston should breeze through that series.
Looking at the rest of the schedule before the Midsummer Classic, though, the Mariners' eyes may be lighting up. Following the series against the Rockies, the Astros will have to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers. The second half of the season will begin with a head-to-head series between the Astros and Mariners on July 18.
During this stretch, Seattle has a little bit of an easier schedule, playing the Kansas Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees. The Mariners at their best should win the first two of those three series (and maybe even sweep). If they can do just that and take even one game against New York, we could see that first series of the second half really mean something in regards to the AL West standings.
There's no doubt that Seattle was not rooting for injury to occur at the Astros' expense, but they will certainly look to take advantage of the situation in front of them in the coming weeks.