Chandler Rome

The Houston GM called reaching the postseason “the end all, be all.” Expect him to operate with that mindset as the deadline approaches.

Astros manager Joe Espada says he has not given Imai "a timetable for when he’s going to be on the mound again."

Before most games, Steven Okert dissolves DripDrop into a bottle of water. After emptying the electrolyte packet into his beverage, Okert hands the wrapper to another Houston Astros reliever.

Steven Okert is an elder statesman, a source of levity and a sounding board for the Astros.

Plus notes on Luis Arraez, Tarik Skubal, the Astros' interest in a Cardinals outfielder and more.

By bludgeoning the Texas Rangers, 11-2, the Astros secured the regular-season series over their intrastate rival and now own the tiebreaker.

The Dodgers are getting healthier but they'll still be in on Tarik Skubal.

“I don’t feel it," Correa said of his surgically-repaired ankle. "Been progressing to running and sprinting and it feels great.”

“The fact that we’re in first place now,” Dana Brown said Sunday, “it makes it a lot sweeter when we go through the process.”

“It's quite ethical to balance the present and the future," Brown said. "It's my job. It's not all about the present."