After burnishing their reputation by taking a three-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies last week, the Houston Astros finished on the wrong end of a series sweep against the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend.

The Astros (75-75), who hold a one-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the American League West, will open their final homestand of the season on Tuesday when they kick off a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals.

Since moving into first place with an 11-2 win over the Rangers on July 31, the Astros are 19-20 and have squandered an opportunity to build a cushion atop the division. Now, with only 12 games remaining on the schedule, Houston has little margin for error.

"We have to learn from some of the things we didn't do well this series, and we've got to go back home and play better," Astros manager Joe Espada said.

"We are really good at turning the page. And let's not forget how well we played in Philly against another good team. So it's just a matter of going back to work on Tuesday. We don't have that much time left, but we're still in first place."

Right-hander Hunter Brown (5-3, 3.52 ERA) is scheduled to start the series opener for the Astros. He allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits with seven strikeouts over five innings against the Phillies last Wednesday but did not factor into the decision in an 11-7 loss. Prior to that, Brown was 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA and 21 strikeouts across 18 1/3 innings in his three previous starts.

Brown is 1-2 with an 8.82 ERA across four career starts against Kansas City. He earned his lone victory against the Royals in his previous start against them on April 27, 2025, allowing one run on seven hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over six innings in a 7-3 win.

Right-hander Michael Wacha (9-8, 3.25 ERA) is set to start for the Royals (66-84). He is 4-0 with a 2.44 ERA over his last seven starts, most recently on Sept. 8 when he tossed six shutout innings with three hits, four walks and four strikeouts against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Wacha did not factor into the decision in that 11-inning, 5-3 loss, snapping his stretch of four consecutive victorious starts.

Wacha is 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA in five career appearances (three starts) against the Astros. He won both of his starts against Houston last season, posting a 1.46 ERA across 12 1/3 innings.

Royals All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. reached 40 stolen bases for the second time in his career over the weekend against the Boston Red Sox. He joined Willie Wilson (seven times), Fred Patek (three), Whit Merrifield (two) and Tom Goodwin (two) as the fifth player with multiple 40-steal seasons for the Royals.

Witt has been caught stealing eight times this season after being caught 15 times while recording 49 steals in 2023.

"He's always had the speed, but I'm really proud of him for increasing his percentage over the years," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Witt. "I think he's gotten much better at his jumps, his breaks, his leads, all those things.

"It's become more of a science to him as opposed to just the natural skill, so that's really cool to see."