Prior to the season, each contender was thought of as the prime threat to get to the World Series. Nearly halfway through the campaign, the Dodgers are four games out of first, while Houston is five.
Houston just closed up a nine-game homestand with a disappointing four victories. That includes their last two contests, against the New York Mets. In the series finale, the Astros endured a 10-8 barnburner as Cristian Javier, Seth Martinez, and Rafael Montero were all touched. Most of the rest of the bullpen appeared as well, with Phil Maton striking out three in 1 1⁄3 innings.