Opposite dugout: Astros have failed to recreate mojo from last year's playoff payoff

Manager: A.J. Hinch (2nd season)

Record: 61-59

Last 10 games: 4-6

Who to watch: 2B Jose Altuve (.364/.428/.572 with 19 HR, 72 RBIs, 26 SB), SS Carlos Correa (18 HR, 82 RBIs), RF George Springer (23 HR, 68 RBIs), RHP Joe Musgrove (1-0, 1.47 ERA), RHP Will Harris (12 saves, 2.64 ERA)

Season series vs. Orioles: 3-0

Pitching probables:

Aug. 18: RHP Joe Musgrove vs. RHP Kevin Gausman, 7:05 p.m., MASN2
Aug. 19: RHP Collin McHugh vs. LHP Wade Miley, 7:05 p.m., MASN2
Aug. 20: RHP Mike Fiers vs. RHP Chris Tillman, 7:05 p.m., MASN2
Aug. 21: LHP Dallas Keuchel vs. RHP Yovani Gallardo, 1:35 p.m., MASN2

Inside the Astros:

Remember last season, when the Astros were the darlings of baseball? Their slow and steady rebuild produced a postseason appearance, the first of what folks in Houston thought would be many. So what are the Astros doing teetering around .500 with six weeks to go in the season, on the fringe of the wild card race instead of the thick of a division battle? Simply put, the calendar turned to 2016 and none of the mojo that carried the Astros last season has followed them. Outside of the do-everything double play combo of shortstop Carlos Correa and second baseman Jose Altuve, the offense has been inconsistent, and the rotation has been suspect. That's a bad combination that usually doesn't result in postseason aspirations.

Altuve's .364 average is the best in the majors, and he's being mentioned as a possible MVP candidate (though it's hard for a standout player on a team that doesn't go to the playoffs to woo the voters). He notched his 1,000th career hit Tuesday night in Minnesota, making him the second-fastest active player to reach that plateau. Altuve has been deadly on the road this season, slashing .44/.490/.634, and he's a career .441/.486/.500 at Camden Yards. Correa has followed up last year's Rookie of the Year season by hitting .274 with 18 homers and a team-leading 82 RBIs in his first full season, and slickly fielding his position. Right fielder George Springer has regressed to a .256 average but has a team-high 23 homers. Versatile Luis Valbuena homered in each of the three games of an Astros sweep of the Orioles in May, but he's on the disabled list with a hamstring issue. Keep an eye on third baseman Alex Bregman, the second overall pick in last summer's draft who made his major league debut in late July. He struggled mightily early on, but has hits in 10 of his last 11 games and seems to be figuring out big league pitching. The Astros possess speed - they are seventh in the majors with 83 stolen bases - but rank in the middle of the pack in most of the offensive categories.

Righty Joe Musgrove will get the call the series opener for Houston, and he's worked to a stingy 1.47 ERA over his first three major league outings, two of them starts. Before being summoned earlier this month, the 23-year-old had posted a 7-4 record and 2.74 ERA in 16 games (14 starts) between Double-A and Triple-A. He's never faced the Orioles, unlike Friday starter Collin McHugh, a right-hander who owns a 1-0 record in four career starts against Baltimore but failed to win in two starts at Camden Yards. He beat the Birds on May 25 in Houston, despite yielding eight hits and three runs and not getting through six innings. McHugh's 7-10 record is deceiving, since he's been a victim of poor run support, not getting more than two runs from his offense in six of his outings the Astros have gone on to lose. Righty Mike Fiers, who didn't have a spot in the rotation when the season began, has made 22 starts because of injuries to other pitchers. He'll be facing the Orioles for the first time Saturday night. Four times in his last seven starts, he's worked five innings or less, and he's surrendered a team-leading 22 homers, a potential red flag if there's heat and humidity to usher balls out of the ballpark on Saturday. Lefty Dallas Keuchel, a 20-game winner and Cy Young Award recipient during a magical 2015, has been enigmatic and erratic this season, posting a 7-12 record and a 4.76 ERA that's almost double his mark last year. He's 1-3 in his last six starts after going 3-0 in his previous four and 1-8 in the 10 before that. In four career starts versus the Orioles, he's 1-2 with a 3.46 ERA, but he lost his lone start at Camden Yards.

Houston's 3.34 bullpen ERA ranks third in the American League behind the Orioles and Royals, and the Astros have relied heavily on guys like righties Pat Neshek (2.78 ERA) and Luke Gregerson (3.22 ERA). But they've employed a closer carousel, with Gregerson (14 saves) and hard-throwing righty Ken Giles (two saves) having cracks at the job before current ninth-inning option Will Harris (12 saves), a righty who has made a team-high 49 appearances and recorded 12 saves, a 2.64 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP