Yordan Alvarez left ankle sprain after a plate collision, hobbling off in the first inning as Houston built a 2-0 lead over Texas. He had walked earlier and recently returned from a hand injury, posting strong numbers in 18 games with a 1.024 OPS. The Astros immediately reshuffled the outfield, moving Jesús Sánchez to left and bringing rookie Zach Cole into right field.

Houston sits two games up on Texas in the AL West and wild-card chase, while Texas holds a 6-4 season-series edge. Cleveland is within a half-game behind, turning the three-game set into a high-stakes sprint for the final playoff spots.