Early breakdown of how Astros stack up against potential playoff opponents

POSTSEASON OUTLOOK

Early breakdown of how Astros stack up against potential playoff opponents
Which team should concern the Astros the most? Composite Getty Image.

With only a dozen games left in the regular season, the playoff matchups the Astros could find themselves in are becoming clear.

It's looking more likely that Houston will be hosting either the Tigers, Twins, or Mariners.

Out of these three teams, which club gives the Astros the best chance to move on to the next round?

The Twins may have a winning record (4-2) against the 'Stros this season, but over the last 30 days, they haven't been playing well.

They are 28th in team ERA (4.96), and 21st in team OPS (.676). The Mariners and Tigers are much better than Minnesota in both categories. It's important to pay attention to how teams are playing as the regular season comes to an end.

But there are other factors to consider. Carlos Correa is back from injury, and the Twins have some big arms that have given the Astros trouble in the past.

This is one video you don't want to miss as we examine the Astros potential playoff matchups and try to determine which team would give Houston the best shot to advance to the divisional series.

*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Yordan Alvarez is still having issues with his hand. Composite Getty Image.

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has experienced a setback in his recovery from a broken right hand and will see a specialist.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez felt pain when he arrived Tuesday at the team's spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he had a workout a day earlier. Alvarez also took batting practice Saturday at Daikin Park.

He will be shut down until he's evaluated by the specialist.

“It’s a tough time going through this with Yordan, but I know that he’s still feeling pain and the soreness in his hand,” Brown said before Tuesday night's series opener at Colorado. “We’re not going to try to push it or force him through anything. We're just going to allow him to heal and get a little bit more answers as to what steps we take next.”

Alvarez has been sidelined for nearly two months. The injury was initially diagnosed as a muscle strain, but when Alvarez felt pain again while hitting in late May, imaging revealed a small fracture.

The 28-year-old outfielder, who has hit 31 homers or more in each of the past four seasons, had been eyeing a return as soon as this weekend at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now it's uncertain when he'll play.

“We felt like he was close because he had felt so good of late,” Brown said, “but this is certainly news that we didn't want.”

You can watch Brown discuss the setback in the video below.

Also Tuesday, the Astros officially placed shortstop Jeremy Peña on the 10-day injured list with a fractured rib and recalled infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land.

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