Houston Astros

The Houston Astros stumbled at times down the stretch of the 2015 regular season, but those struggles weren't evident Tuesday night as they downed the New York Yankees, 3-0, in the American League Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium. 

The Houston Astros were a disaster in their first two years in the American League, with a combined record of 121-203 (including an abysmal 51-111 record in 2013), but they completely turned the corner this season and are heading to the playoffs.

First off, this isn't a postmortem. If things ended Friday, the Houston Astros would be in the postseason, albeit by the narrowest of margins.

But, whereas the surprising 'Stros looked like an October lock for much of the season, now they're hanging on by a thread—one that's slipping rapidly from their grasp.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was back in the lineup on Saturday, after he was forced to leave the team's game against the Texas Rangers on Friday. "He's sore but he's in there top of the lineup and good to go," manager A.J. Hinch said on Saturday, per the team.

That man is STRONG. 

Houston Astros DH Evan Gattis was the lone shining light in his team's 14-3 loss against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night. 

In the top of the eighth inning, the big man crushed a two-run home run off pitcher Andrew Faulkner. However, this wasn't your run-of-the-mill home run. Gattis only needed one hand. 

Yeah. We know.

Expectations at the big league level were minimal as last April brought the start of the Major League Baseball season.

However, by the time the final out of their 25th game was made, the Houston Astros had transformed into a contender. The only question was, were they more the small-sample variety, or were they the kind of club built to sustain success through the grind of 162 regular-season games?

As the Houston Astros continue their chase for a playoff spot, their starting rotation will be without a key piece the rest of this season thanks to Scott Feldman's shoulder injury. 

Continue for updates. 

Astros Shut Feldman Down

Friday, Sept. 11

According to the Astros' official Twitter, a sprained right shoulder will force Feldman to miss the rest of 2015. 

George Springer has yet to gain full membership into the group of Major League Baseball’s superstars, but he is a game-changing talent regardless of his standing among the game’s elite. 

The Houston Astros are about to haul in the benefits of that talent down the final stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs after missing it since early in the summer.

There will be a great many stories to tell about the 2015 MLB season, including the one of how the Houston Astros at last settled into their new home.

It was in 2013 when the Astros jumped from the National League Central to the American League West, thus bringing about an overdue balance between the two leagues. But beyond that, there really wasn't much to say about the move.

If you needed further confirmation that Dallas Keuchel is a flat-out stud, the Houston Astros ace provided it Tuesday.