SEPTEMBER 1 • MLB.COM
HOUSTON ASTROS 88-73 · 1ST IN AL WEST
88-73 · 1ST IN AL WEST
Alvarez reaches 30-homer milestone with 2 long balls HOUSTON -- Yordan Alvarez snapped his Minute Maid Park home run drought by clubbing his 29th and 30th home runs of the season and Ronel Blan...
Yordan Alvarez homers twice as Astros complete 4-game sweep of Royals with 7-2 win
Yordan Alvarez homered twice and Jon Singleton added a two-run shot as the Houston Astros completed a four-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 7-2 winSEPTEMBER 1 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Victor Caratini - Getting day off Caratini is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
Impact Caratini picked up starts at first base and catcher Friday and Saturday, respectively, but he'll hit the bench for the finale. Yainer Diaz will work behind the plate Sunday, while Jon Singleton gets the nod at first base. The Astros are likely to rotate Caratini, Singleton and Zach Dezenzo at first base until somebody performs well enough to take control of the job.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Victor Caratini - Getting day off Caratini is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
Impact Caratini picked up starts at first base and catcher Friday and Saturday, respectively, but he'll hit the bench for the finale. Yainer Diaz will work behind the plate Sunday, while Jon Singleton gets the nod at first base. The Astros are likely to rotate Caratini, Singleton and Zach Dezenzo at first base until somebody performs well enough to take control of the job.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Jason Heyward - Sitting versus righty Heyward is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
Impact After joining the Astros on Thursday, Heyward made two consecutive starts against right-handed pitching, going 1-for-6 with a double and two RBI between those contests. He was on the bench Saturday against southpaw Cole Ragans and will remain out of the lineup again Sunday while right-hander Alec Marsh toes the rubber for the Royals. Ben Gamel will check in for Heyward in right field.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Jason Heyward - Sitting versus righty Heyward is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.
Impact After joining the Astros on Thursday, Heyward made two consecutive starts against right-handed pitching, going 1-for-6 with a double and two RBI between those contests. He was on the bench Saturday against southpaw Cole Ragans and will remain out of the lineup again Sunday while right-hander Alec Marsh toes the rubber for the Royals. Ben Gamel will check in for Heyward in right field.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Forrest Whitley - Up with big club The Astros recalled Whitley from Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday.
Impact Whitley will receive his first look in the majors since mid-April, when he allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning during his MLB debut. The right-hander has been an effective bullpen piece at Sugar Land this season with a 2.17 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 40:9 K:BB across 29 innings.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Forrest Whitley - Up with big club The Astros recalled Whitley from Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday.
Impact Whitley will receive his first look in the majors since mid-April, when he allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning during his MLB debut. The right-hander has been an effective bullpen piece at Sugar Land this season with a 2.17 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 40:9 K:BB across 29 innings.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
César Salazar - Recalled Sunday The Astros recalled Salazar from Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday.
Impact Salazar will join the Astros as catching depth with MLB rosters expanding to 28 players Sunday. He's unlikely to see much playing time while Yainer Diaz and Victor Caratini remain healthy.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
César Salazar - Recalled Sunday The Astros recalled Salazar from Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday.
Impact Salazar will join the Astros as catching depth with MLB rosters expanding to 28 players Sunday. He's unlikely to see much playing time while Yainer Diaz and Victor Caratini remain healthy.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Alex Bregman - Absence continuing Sunday Bregman (elbow) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Impact It's the third straight game on the bench for Bregman as he continues to nurse a sore elbow. The 30-year-old missed a handful of games in mid-August due to the elbow issue, and he'll likely need to contend with the injury for the rest of the season. Shay Whitcomb is starting at third base in the series finale versus Kansas City.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Alex Bregman - Absence continuing Sunday Bregman (elbow) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Impact Bregman will stay on the bench for a third straight game as he continues to nurse a sore elbow. The 30-year-old missed a handful of games in mid-August due to the elbow issue, and he'll likely need to contend with the injury for the rest of the season. Shay Whitcomb is starting at third base Sunday, but Bregman should be back in action before long. In fact, manager Joe Espada told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that the swelling in Bregman's elbow has almost dissipated, and the 30-year-old might be available off the bench Sunday.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Astros leaning on starting pitching ahead of finale vs. Royals With Yusei Kikuchi delivering seven strong innings in the Houston Astros’ 5-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, Houston cappe...
SEPTEMBER 1 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
Astros leaning on starting pitching ahead of finale vs. Royals With Yusei Kikuchi delivering seven strong innings in the Houston Astros’ 5-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, Houston cappe...
SEPTEMBER 1 • CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM
Astros host the Royals, try to continue home win streak
The Houston Astros host the Kansas City Royals looking to continue a three-game home winning streakSEPTEMBER 1 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ryan Pressly - Steps in for save Saturday Pressly earned a save against the Royals on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over one scoreless inning.
Impact Primary closer Josh Hader pitched both Thursday and Friday, so he was unavailable for Saturday's contest. As a result, Houston manager Joe Espada turned to Pressly -- who racked up 90 saves as the team's closer from 2021 to 2023 -- to slam the door shut in the ninth inning against Kansas City. The right-hander allowed a two-out single but had little trouble finishing off KC. Pressly may get an occasional save chance when Hader is held out, but his primary role moving forward will likely be to serve as one of the Astros' top setup men.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Ryan Pressly - Steps in for save Saturday Pressly earned a save against the Royals on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over one scoreless inning.
Impact Primary closer Josh Hader pitched both Thursday and Friday, so he was unavailable for Saturday's contest. As a result, Houston manager Joe Espada turned to Pressly -- who racked up 90 saves as the team's closer from 2021 to 2023 -- to slam the door shut in the ninth inning against Kansas City. The right-hander allowed a two-out single but had little trouble closing things out. Pressly may get an occasional save chance when Hader is held out, but his primary role moving forward will likely be to serve as one of the Astros' top setup men.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Yusei Kikuchi - Racks up 12 punchouts in victory Kikuchi (7-9) earned the win over Kansas City on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and no walks while striking out 12 batters over seven innings.
Impact Kikuchi racked up 20 swinging strikes on his way to a season-high 12 punchouts, falling just one K shy of his career-high mark. The southpaw kept the Royals off the board for six frames before allowing a run on a pair of singles and a fielder's choice in the seventh, but he was able to get through that frame with no additional damage to complete seven innings for the first time since July 9. The Astros' trade for Kikuchi at the deadline didn't generate much buzz, but the hurler has been excellent since joining Houston, posting a 2.57 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 47:10 K:BB over six starts covering 35 frames.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Yusei Kikuchi - Racks up 12 punchouts in victory Kikuchi (7-9) earned the win over Kansas City on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and no walks while striking out 12 batters over seven innings.
Impact Kikuchi racked up 20 swinging strikes on his way to a season-high 12 punchouts, falling just one K shy of his career-high mark. The southpaw kept the Royals off the board for six frames before allowing a run on a pair of singles and a fielder's choice in the seventh, but he was able to get through that frame with no additional damage to complete seven innings for the first time since July 9. The Astros' trade for Kikuchi at the deadline didn't generate much buzz, but the hurler has been excellent since joining Houston, posting a 2.57 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 47:10 K:BB over six starts covering 35 frames.
SEPTEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE
Backed by Astros' bats, Yusei Kikuchi K's 12 Royals Jeremy Pena followed a two-run single by Yainer Diaz with a two-run triple in support of Yusei Kikuchi, who struck out 12 over seven strong...
SEPTEMBER 1 • SUNHERALD.COM
Kikuchi strikes out 12 in 7 innings and Astros beat Royals 5-2
Yusei Kikuchi struck out 12 in seven innings to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-2 win over the Kansas City RoyalsSEPTEMBER 1 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
How to Watch Astros vs. Royals: TV Channel & Live Stream - September 1
Preview the September 1 matchup between the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals with recent trends, how to watch, livestream info, and mor...SEPTEMBER 1 • DATA SKRIVE
Astros vs. Royals Prediction, Odds, Picks - September 1
Preview the September 1 matchup between the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals with odds over/under, game spread, betting lines and more.SEPTEMBER 1 • DATA SKRIVE
Kyle Tucker - Runs bases, homers twice in live BP Tucker (lower leg) ran the bases and took live batting practice again Saturday, manager Joe Espada told SportsTalk 790.
Impact Houston's skipper noted that Tucker homered twice in live BP and said the outfielder is "getting close." Tucker cleared a major hurdle by running the bases -- typically one of the final steps before a player is cleared to return to a game setting. Sidelined since early June with a shin injury, Tucker suggested Friday that he's eyeing a return during the team's next homestand which begins Sept. 6.
AUGUST 31 • ROTOWIRE
