Houston Astros' Bats Showed Up When it Mattered Most

The Houston Astros are now in firm control of the final AL Wild Card spot after beating the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, getting a huge performance from their big hitters when it mattered most.

It was put up or shut up time for the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

With only a half-game lead over the Seattle Mariners, they needed a big performance from everyone on the team with their ace on the mound.

It looked like the issues that have plagued the Astros in recent weeks was rearing its ugly head once again when Framber Valdez gave up a home run in the first inning.

Getting off to slow starts and having to come from behind has plagued this club during their losing streak.

Then Houston's slugger Yordan Alvarez hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to tie the game. That was followed by Mauricio Dubon hitting a three-run homer four batters later to take a 4-1 lead.

This was all the Astros needed as they never relinquished the lead and won their most important game of the season 8-3.

Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker combined to go 5-16 with two RBI, something that had been a struggle for their big group of four hitters in recent weeks.

Veteran Michael Brantley was clutch once again, finishing the game 4-5 with an RBI in his return from injury.

The bullpen was lights out in their five innings of relief, allowing zero runs of their own on only three hits and striking out nine batters.

It should come as no surprise that this group would rise to the occasion.

They've been doing that for years during their run as one of the top teams in the MLB.

There was some concern that maybe this group had lost some of that magic though. They had a chance to win the AL West before shocking home losses rendered them into a Wild Card chase.

But when it mattered most, the bats showed up in a big way and has put this team on the verge of making the MLB Playoffs for the seventh straight year.