Astros designate Jason Alexander for assignment

Moore singled in one in the first on a fly to center that Julio Rodríguez really should have caught but got a late break on. In the fifth, Moore fanned on a bounced strike three, only to wind up on second after hustling his way to first and taking advantage of an incredibly poor throw from Cal Raleigh that went into left. Moore’s one good at-bat came the next inning, as he doubled off the wall in center to plate two. He hit the ball 403 feet, topping his previous season high of 389.

Rodriguez struck out just two, but his performance was good enough with the Mariners having nothing to play for tonight. It’s his first win since Aug. 20, and he ends the year 5-8 with a 6.02 ERA. The Angels were 5-15 in all in his 20 starts. Still, acquiring him from the Orioles for Taylor Ward seems like a major win. He’s under control for three more years and won’t make all that much in his first year of arbitration in 2027. We wouldn’t want to bet on him being a mixed-league SP next year, but some improvement seems likely if he again remains relatively healthy.

Watson struck out two in protecting a two-run lead. The Rule 5 pick from the Giants organization has a 2.20 ERA in 18 appearances for the Angels since being claimed off waivers from the Red Sox.

The Mariners could have lifted Woo with a 4-3 lead after five, allowing him to finish with a 3.91 ERA, but after two more earned runs in the sixth, he ends the season with a 4.01 ERA. It’s something that could pay off for the team with Woo eligible for arbitration for the first time. Not only did his ERA eclipse a round number, but he also took his 10th loss, matching his total from the previous two seasons combined.

Riley’s home run was his 19th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Brady Singer in the third inning. Riley is closing out his worst season in the majors by OPS (.665). The 29-year-old third basemen hit 19 home runs in 46 fewer games only two years ago. From 2021-23, Riley finished in the top 10 in the NL MVP voting all three years. Since then, he’s had three disappointing campaigns in a row and belief in a bounce back is dwindling.

De La Cruz’s home run was his 30th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Tyler Mahle in the third inning. His 30 homers and .521 slugging are both career-highs for the 24-year-old shortstop. De La Cruz may never come close to stealing 67 bases again, but he remains a fantasy stud nonetheless.

Jorge’s home run was the first of his MLB career. He hit a solo shot off Tyler Mahle in the first inning. Jorge was called up to the majors at the start of September. While he’s only had 34 at-bats, he’s been overmatched, hitting .147 with only two extra-base hits.

Pagán’s save was his 25th of the season. He pitched around a lead-off singled to preserve a one-run lead for the Reds. Pagán certainly has the trust of manager Terry Francona, picking up 57 saves under the skipper over the last two seasons.

Unbelievable. Spencer, who was recalled Wednesday and is no higher than the Astros’ fourth choice to be playing center field at the moment, hit balls 429, 385, 387 and 351 feet in his four at-bats tonight. All were homers except for the 385-foot flyout. Spence entered with just one career extra-base hit while going 6-for-40 for the Astros. He totaled 13 homers in 99 games in the minors this season. He’s the third player in major league history to hit his first three homers in the same game, but as cool as that is, it’s not quite as awesome as Joshua Báez doing it in his first major league game last month. The other to pull it off was Seby Zavala in 2021.

It just wasn’t Lambert’s night. He allowed only two hard-hit balls, but both of those were homers, and four of the other five balls in play against him turned into hits. None of those non-homers were hit harder than 83 mph, and the back-to-back homers in the third would have been gone in nine and 17 ballparks, respectively. Lambert’s regular season concludes with an 8-10 record and a 3.87 ERA in 28 starts. He almost certainly has to start in the Wild Card series if the Astros advance, but it doesn’t seem like he has a great deal left in the tank at this point. Before throwing 166 innings this year, he came in at 22, seven, 109, 90 and 124 the last five seasons.