{"id":249919,"date":"2025-07-09T05:22:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T05:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/249919\/"},"modified":"2025-07-09T05:22:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T05:22:09","slug":"astros-rise-standings-tight-near-all-star-break","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/249919\/","title":{"rendered":"Astros rise, standings tight near All-Star break"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/84304213007-usatsi-26507111.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Top 5 prospects to watch in 2025 MLB Draft<\/p>\n<p>The Southwest Times Record&#8217;s Jackson Fuller shares his top five MLB draft prospects who could hear their names called early.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/baseball\/mlb\/teams\/houston-astros\/242\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Houston Astros<\/a> truly are unstoppable.<\/p>\n<p>After dispatching two of their bedrock players in <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/baseball\/mlb\/players\/alex-bregman\/659419\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alex Bregman<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/baseball\/mlb\/players\/kyle-tucker\/874240\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kyle Tucker<\/a> last winter, they got off to an appropriately middling start that suggested their revamped lineup might have, finally, lost too many pieces from their championships in 2017 and 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Yet look who&#8217;s nearly atop USA TODAY Sports&#8217; power rankings.<\/p>\n<p>Despite losing All-Star shortstop Jeremy Pe\u00f1a to a rib injury this week, and missing slugger Yordan Alvarez for almost all of the first half, the Astros continued their stunning roll toward the break, dealing the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/baseball\/mlb\/teams\/los-angeles-dodgers\/243\" data-autotag=\"71975c0f-8b3f-4650-915e-eebafe288e15\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/mlb\/dodgers\/2025\/07\/05\/dodgers-worst-home-loss-astros\/84476192007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">worst loss ever<\/a> at Chavez Ravine as if it were the late 2010s all over again.<\/p>\n<p>And after a road sweep of their old adversaries, the team many love to hate has won 24 of its last 32 games, completing a startling five-week rise from No. 12 to No. 2 inpower rankings the rankings. With All-Star ace Hunter Brown and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/mlb\/allstar\/2025\/07\/06\/mlb-all-star-snubs-juan-soto-2025\/84486695007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">should-be All-Star<\/a> Framber Valdez fronting the rotation, the club may put the American League West to bed by the trade deadline.<\/p>\n<p>Soon enough, they may have the No. 1 Tigers in their sights.<\/p>\n<p>A look at our updated rankings:<\/p>\n<p>1. Detroit Tigers (-)<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The D is taking over The A, with Tarik Skubal the likely All-Star starter backed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/mlb\/columnist\/gabe-lacques\/2025\/07\/02\/mlb-strikeouts-down-hitting-stats-contact\/84440062007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rejuvenated veterans<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>2. Houston Astros (+1)<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jose Altuve slams three home runs at Dodger Stadium, thrilling the locals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>3. Los Angeles Dodgers (-1)<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Should soon have a reunion with the Blakes &#8211; Snell and Treinen heading out on rehab assignments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Zack Wheeler named pitcher of month &#8211; then twirls a one-hit, 12-strikeout gem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What a return for Brandon Woodruff, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/story\/sports\/mlb\/brewers\/2025\/07\/06\/thats-just-special-brandon-woodruff-has-a-return-to-remember-in-miami\/84480567007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">beats Marlins<\/a> in first outing since September 2023.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How did they vault to the top of the AL East? Arguably the most dominant bullpen in the AL, for one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>8. New York Mets (-)<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pete Alonso already has 46 extra-base hits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>9. New York Yankees (-3)<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Clarke Schmidt&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/mlb\/2025\/07\/05\/clarke-schmidt-injury-update-tommy-john-surgery-yankees\/84479930007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">elbow injury<\/a> adds to an even heavier trade deadline to-do list.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>10. <strong>Tampa Bay Rays (-3)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ha-Seong Kim is back, and infield depth is enviable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Manny Machado two hits shy of joining 2,000 club.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>12. St. Louis Cardinals (-2)<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They&#8217;re calling Brendan Donovan &#8220;Donnie All-Star.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Players&#8217; vote really nailed it sending Randy Rodriguez &#8211; perhaps NL&#8217;s best reliever &#8211; to All-Star Game.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Julio Rodriguez takes a .695 OPS into All-Star Game.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>16. Boston Red Sox (+1)<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Huge boost from Lucas Giolito, who has 0.83 ERA over his past five starts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>17. Texas Rangers (+1)<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After a six-year absence, Jacob deGrom once again an All-Star.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>18. Arizona Diamondbacks (-2)19. Los Angeles Angels (+2)<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sometimes off-season pitching additions work out: Yusei Kikuchi is an All-Star.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>20. <strong>Minnesota Twins (-)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Georgia man Byron Buxton is heading to his second All-Star Game.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>21. Cleveland Guardians (-2)<\/p>\n<ul id=\"block-0355cf43-c0dd-4c5b-b2fa-ddd2e1953904\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Carlos Santana will be a nice pickup for a contender needing a bat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul id=\"block-cbca2a61-8db1-46e0-9173-4422064ac063\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Seth Lugo, another should-be All-Star, looking like strong candidate to opt out after the season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul id=\"block-661712c5-52b0-4caf-bdca-65dcd950b2c1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Trevor Rogers provides trade deadline dividend &#8211; just a year after he was traded.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul id=\"block-46f548fc-1e00-46a7-a674-f4993d5d776d\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Marcell Ozuna batting .159 with one homer in past 30 games.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul id=\"block-6da7af0e-5701-464f-b04a-8c4c596f4a14\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kyle Stowers is an All-Star \u2013 and he oughta do the Home Run Derby, too.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul id=\"block-ca980762-9047-4e52-91a4-549f31c5729d\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hey, they passed the Nationals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>27. Washington Nationals (-1)<\/p>\n<ul id=\"block-0fa6e2c6-49b1-43aa-8721-20382f097831\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They fire their security blankets &#8211; and a very uncertain future looms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>28. Athletics<\/p>\n<ul id=\"block-3c23aedc-4fec-4b54-9386-e8e5b94cc754\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Luis Severino&#8217;s given up the second-most earned runs in the game &#8211; 48 of the 64 yielded in Yolo County.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>29. Chicago White Sox (-)<\/p>\n<ul id=\"block-51f68e99-40e0-44bf-9516-1ee7ff85d5b6\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They win two of three against Rockies, likely locking in pecking order for future Power Rankings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul id=\"block-2d53b8d4-d0e5-4aaf-affc-274b5ee56d17\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hey, at least Hunter Goodman is a legit &#8211; not a courtesy &#8211; All-Star pick.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Top 5 prospects to watch in 2025 MLB Draft The Southwest Times Record&#8217;s Jackson Fuller shares his top&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":249920,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5311],"tags":[23201,32276,12634,11533,16343,20661,32283,32256,32281,11534,96486,96499,12045,96488,96500,32260,32251,53293,96485,96484,96498,2306,32279,32255,32280,2737,96490,96501,3613,32286,32254,32258,32263,67209,32247,19257,96493,32265,11917,53303,6695,16342,32287,96492,96502,96495,96494,96503,53294,32266,119,32291,17769,53302,14881,5777,5786,6096,12069,5488,12,32257,5179,5496,32259,18766,32285,32261,20527,33960,20528,1042,32262,448,32253,32282,32278,96491,20442,18493,53304,93,32292,79,6924,20498,1426,9916,32290,96487,5181,49,978,659,19776,96489,96496,96504,96483,96497],"class_list":{"0":"post-249919","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-alex","9":"tag-alex-bregman","10":"tag-american","11":"tag-american-league","12":"tag-angeles","13":"tag-atlanta","14":"tag-atlanta-braves","15":"tag-baltimore","16":"tag-baltimore-orioles","17":"tag-baseball","18":"tag-blake","19":"tag-blake-treinen","20":"tag-blue","21":"tag-brandon","22":"tag-brandon-woodruff","23":"tag-braves","24":"tag-bregman","25":"tag-brewers","26":"tag-buxton","27":"tag-byron","28":"tag-byron-buxton","29":"tag-chicago","30":"tag-chicago-cubs","31":"tag-cincinnati","32":"tag-cincinnati-reds","33":"tag-city","34":"tag-clarke","35":"tag-clarke-schmidt","36":"tag-colorado","37":"tag-colorado-rockies","38":"tag-cubs","39":"tag-diego","40":"tag-dodgers","41":"tag-field","42":"tag-francisco","43":"tag-giants","44":"tag-giolito","45":"tag-jays","46":"tag-kansas","47":"tag-kansas-city-royals","48":"tag-league","49":"tag-los","50":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","51":"tag-lucas","52":"tag-lucas-giolito","53":"tag-machado","54":"tag-manny","55":"tag-manny-machado","56":"tag-mariners","57":"tag-marlins","58":"tag-miami","59":"tag-miami-marlins","60":"tag-milwaukee","61":"tag-milwaukee-brewers","62":"tag-mlb","63":"tag-modular","64":"tag-modular-story","65":"tag-national","66":"tag-national-sports","67":"tag-neutral","68":"tag-news","69":"tag-orioles","70":"tag-overall","71":"tag-overall-neutral","72":"tag-padres","73":"tag-philadelphia","74":"tag-philadelphia-phillies","75":"tag-phillies","76":"tag-pirates","77":"tag-pittsburgh","78":"tag-pittsburgh-pirates","79":"tag-reds","80":"tag-rockies","81":"tag-royals","82":"tag-san","83":"tag-san-diego-padres","84":"tag-san-francisco-giants","85":"tag-schmidt","86":"tag-scores","87":"tag-seattle","88":"tag-seattle-mariners","89":"tag-sport","90":"tag-sport-scores-u0026-statistics","91":"tag-sports","92":"tag-sports-news","93":"tag-statistics","94":"tag-story","95":"tag-toronto","96":"tag-toronto-blue-jays","97":"tag-treinen","98":"tag-u0026","99":"tag-united-states","100":"tag-us","101":"tag-usa","102":"tag-wheeler","103":"tag-woodruff","104":"tag-wrigley","105":"tag-wrigley-field","106":"tag-zack","107":"tag-zack-wheeler"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}