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Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Angels.
Smith has homered four times over his last nine games, going 9-for-29 (.310) in that span. He mostly had a July to forget, but the outfielder has gotten himself back on track with the uptick in power lately. For the season, he's hitting .223 with a .694 OPS, 17 homers, 46 RBI, 54 runs scored, 15 doubles, three triples and 10 stolen bases over 123 contests.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Falls to Angels
Rotowire
Javier (1-4) allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five over four innings to take the loss versus the Angels on Tuesday.
Javier was skipped the last time through the rotation. He has now lost three straight starts, allowing nine runs over 15 innings, including four home runs, in that span. He's at a 6.44 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 30:17 K:BB across 36.1 innings through 11 appearances (seven starts) on the year. Considering the Astros are on shaky ground, leading the AL West despite a 63-63 record, Javier's spot in the rotation is far from secure. He's tentatively projected to make his next appearance at home versus the Athletics.
Astros' Ethan Pecko: Slated for major-league debut Wednesday
Rotowire
Pecko is expected to be called up by the Astros and start in his major-league debut against the Angels on Wednesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Pecko was scratched from his scheduled start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, and it appears the 23-year-old right-hander will get the call to make his first major-league start Wednesday. Pecko briefly saw some time on the 7-day IL earlier in the season due to thoracic outlet syndrome, but he has spent the majority of 2026 in Triple-A, where he has a 4-6 record across 17 games (15 starts) with a 4.94 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 71:28 K:BB over 74.2 innings. He figures to get a few turns in the Astros rotation, at least until Mike Burrows (elbow) is cleared to return from the 15-day IL.
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Astros' Cristian Javier: Slotting back into rotation Tuesday
Rotowire
Javier will start Tuesday's game against the Angels in Houston, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Javier will be making his third consecutive start but will take the hill for the first time since Aug. 9, as the Astros were able to get by with a four-man rotation during a six-game slate last week. Over his prior two starts, Javier surrendered seven earned runs on 15 hits and one walk across 11 innings, so his spot in the rotation could be on shaky ground if he's unable to come through with an improved performance Tuesday.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Up to 14 homers
Rotowire
Pena went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Mariners.
Pena got the Astros on the board in the fourth inning with a solo shot off Bryan Woo, his 14th homer of the year, to cut the deficit to 2-1. While Pena now has three extra-base hits in his last four games, he's cooled off significantly at the plate, going just 4-for-43 (.093) across 10 contests prior to Sunday after going 27-for-64 (.422) with seven homers in his previous 15 games. Overall, Pena is now slashing .288/.343/.477 with 59 runs scored, 40 RBI and eight stolen bases across 335 plate appearances this season.
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Astros' Hunter Brown: Struggles with control in third loss
Rotowire
Brown (3-3) took the loss Sunday, allowing two runs on three hits and five walks over five innings in a 3-2 loss to the Mariners. He struck out five.
After giving up a solo homer to Randy Arozarena in the first inning, Brown generally limited the damage but struggled with his control, issuing five walks. The right-hander hadn't experienced notable control issues in previous seasons, but he's now allowed four-plus walks in four of his past eight outings and is sporting an overall 5.2 BB/9. In total, Brown owns a 3.67 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 72:40 K:BB across 68.2 innings (13 starts) and is tentatively scheduled to pitch Saturday against the Athletics.
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Astros' Alonzo Tredwell: Returns from shoulder injury
Rotowire
Tredwell (shoulder) struck out three and allowed one run on one hit and four walks over 3.2 innings Friday in a start for Double-A Corpus Christi after being reinstated from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
Tredwell made his 2026 debut after a strained shoulder had kept him on the shelf since the spring. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, Tredwell strikes an imposing presence on the mound but lacks the premium velocity that his frame would suggest, as his fastball typically sits in the low-90s.
Astros' Christian Vazquez: Poaching playing time from Diaz
Rotowire
Vazquez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Though he'll hit the bench for the series finale, Vazquez may have temporarily pushed his way into a timeshare at catcher with the slumping Yainer Diaz. Since closing July with a pair of four-hit games, Diaz has produced a lowly .179/.233/.179 slash line through 12 contests in August. Vazquez drew starts over Diaz in each of the previous three games, going 2-for-6 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored.
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Astros' Taylor Trammell: Taking seat Sunday
Rotowire
Trammell is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Trammell will retreat to the bench Sunday after he started in each of the last three games while going 1-for-11 with a 1:7 BB:K and a run scored during that span. Yordan Alvarez will take Trammell's spot in left field.
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Astros' Cam Smith: Receiving breather Sunday
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.
LaMonte Wade will step in as the Astros' right fielder after Smith occupied the position in each of the previous five games. Smith turned in multi-hit efforts in four of his first seven starts of August, but he's cooled down over his last four contests, going 2-for-15 with no walks and three strikeouts.
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Astros' Miguel Ullola: Back with Houston
Rotowire
The Astros recalled Ullola from Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday.
Ullola will be up with the Astros for the third time this season after giving up three earned runs on four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters across five innings over three relief appearances between his first two stints in the big leagues. He'll join the Houston bullpen as a replacement for Ronel Blanco, who was optioned to Triple-A.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Dropped from rotation, sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Astros optioned Blanco to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday.
The 32-year-old right-hander has struggled to return to form since making his 2026 debut for the Astros in late July after completing his recovery from his June 2025 Tommy John surgery with an internal brace. After posting a 6.98 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through his first four starts with Houston, Blanco was shifted to a relief role and was promptly roughed up for five earned runs on seven hits and one walk in four innings in his first appearance out of the bullpen in Saturday's 10-5 loss to the Mariners. The Astros recalled right-hander Miguel Ullola from Triple-A to take Blanco's spot in the bullpen.
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Astros' Ethan Pecko: Potentially in line for call-up
Rotowire
Pecko was scratched ahead of his scheduled start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, potentially signaling that the Astros are planning to call him up, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
No injury was behind the decision to scratch Pecko, who has yet to make an appearance in the big leagues. The Astros seemingly have a spot available in the rotation for Pecko, as Ronel Blanco was used in long relief during Saturday's 10-5 loss to the Mariners and has submitted a 7.71 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in five appearances (four starts) since returning from the injured list in late July. Regarded as one of the organization's top pitching prospects, the 23-year-old Pecko has submitted a 4.94 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 71:28 K:BB over 74.2 innings this season in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
Astros' Hayden Wesneski: Season-high six Ks in short outing
Rotowire
Wesneski (2-1) took the loss against the Mariners on Saturday, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk in four innings. He struck out six.
Wesneski was never quite able to find his footing Saturday after coughing up four runs in the second inning, turning in his shortest outing of the campaign so far. The right-hander recorded a season high in punchouts, but he's yet to reach the 90-pitch mark in any of his four starts since returning from Tommy John surgery. Wesneski will be trying to further build up his pitch count against the lowly Athletics his next time out, carrying a 5.16 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB over 22.2 innings.
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