HOUSTON — The Astros came home Thursday night to open a homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers after finishing their series with the Texas Rangers, and the timing could hardly be tighter. Houston was three games behind the Athletics in the AL West entering the fourth game of that four-game set, then won the final game to keep from losing more ground in a division where all five teams were still under.500.
That is why Brewers vs Astros is drawing attention now. Milwaukee arrives as the National League Central leader, and the weekend slate includes a matchup Sunday that has been billed as must-watch. The Brewers are bringing one of their best arms into the series in Jacob Misiorowski, who threw six no-hit innings against Texas on Monday night in a combined no-hitter, even while issuing four walks and striking out two.
Houston has already shown it can pitch with anybody. The Astros swept the Chicago Cubs on the North Side before heading to Arlington, and they just finished a game in which they stayed alive in the AL West race. But this homestand comes with a harder edge: the club is trying to climb back into the division picture despite being devastated with injuries, which puts more weight on every start and every inning in a short series against a first-place opponent.
The Brewers do not come in with just one arm to watch. Logan Lambert has worked 18 innings in his last three starts, but he has also allowed 14 hits and 11 earned runs in that stretch against the Seattle Mariners, the Rangers and the Cubs. AJ Sproat is set for his ninth start and remains in search of consistency, a detail that matters because Milwaukee has leaned on him enough to include him in the trade return from the New York Mets for Freddy Peralta back in January.
That is what makes Sunday more than a date on the calendar. Houston needs the homestand to stabilize its season, Milwaukee wants to keep the pressure on with its pitching depth, and the gap in the AL West leaves little room for another stumble. If the Astros are going to turn a win over Texas into something bigger, they will have to do it against a Brewers staff that is arriving with momentum, a top arm and one obvious target on the schedule.
