The Houston Astros have dug themselves into a hole at the wrong time and it could affect their path to the postseason. It's obvious at this point that Houston has to win the AL West to be postseason-bound, entering a big two-game series against the eliminated Seattle Mariners with a 77-79 record.
Being swept by the Atlanta Braves while the Texas Rangers have won three straight series, getting themselves to a 78-78 record, the Astros can't afford to drop any more games that Texas is winning. The Rangers begin a three-game series against the New York Mets .
Away from Daikin Park, the Astros turn the ball over to Cristian Javier to get the two-game series started, and they need him more now than they have at any other start all season. Luckily for Houston, Javier has had a strong September , and he's going to need another big performance.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier (53) pitches at Daikin Park. Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Let's be honest: Javier's 2026 hasn't been the best season of his career, posting a 5.31 ERA in 16 games, 11 starts. While Javier has been battling injury, he's started to show signs of his best stuff, which was seen in 2022, when he posted a 3.7 WAR and a 2.54 ERA.
So far in September, Javier has been everything Houston's rotation has wanted, taking the mound three times and pitching past the fifth inning in each, holding a 2.20 ERA in 16.1 innings. His last outing against the Kansas City Royals was the worst of the three, and even then he gave up just two earned runs.
If Javier is striking out batters early and can command the zone, limiting the free pass, it comes down to Houston's offense to get the job done. That's what happened in 2022 when the Astros dominated the division and had a trip to the World Series, with a handful of familiar faces still on the roster. Why not do it again?
This will be Javier's first start against the Mariners since 2023, and that season, the Mariners had Javier's number. In two starts against the division rival, Javier put up a 4.63 ERA in two starts, spanning 11.2 innings, allowing six earned runs, five walks and 14 strikeouts.
That's proof right there that if Javier can keep the ball in the strike zone, he'll be successful. He didn't allow a home run to Seattle, but those walks came back to bite him, similar to how they have this year.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/astros/onsi as Astros Need 2022-Like Performance From Cristian Javier to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive .
