HOUSTON (AP) — With the way Alex Bregman has been swinging the bat lately Tyler Anderson Jersey , Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch said it’s a shame the team has an off day on Thursday.Bregman homered and had a career-high five RBIs to lead the Astros to a 9-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night. Bregman extended his on-base streak to 33 games, a span where he’s hitting .360 with an on-base percentage of .449.“It’s a step in the right direction, but there’s still so much to improve on and so much to get better at,” Bregman said. “That’s what this game is the best — it’s a game of failure. You can be on top of the world one day and 0-for-4 the next day. You can’t ever get too high or too low.”Evan Gattis also hit his 25th home run of the year in the win.The defending champs have won five straight, finishing a 10-game homestand with a 7-3 record. Houston has won 12 of its last 15 games entering a three-game series in Boston against the team with the best record in baseball.Bregman gave the Astros a 2-0 lead in the third inning with his 29th homer of the season, a line-drive shot off Jake Odorizzi into the left-field Crawford Boxes. He later added a three-run double off the left-field wall with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, his MLB-leading 47th double of the season, to put Houston up 9-1.“He’s putting up so many quality at-bats, one after another,” Hinch said. “It’s hard to expect it at this level because it’s not as easy as these guys make it look sometimes, but he’s getting great pitches to hit. He’s not missing them — he’s doing damage.”Gattis extended Houston’s lead to 4-0 with a two-run homer in the fourth inning off Odorizzi, also to left field on the first pitch of his at-bat.Houston went up 5-1 with an RBI single to right from Yuli Gurriel off Odorizzi (5-10), who allowed five runs on four hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings.“We just had trouble containing some of the guys that are extremely hot right now,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “Bregman’s probably as hot as anybody I’ve seen for a while in terms of just consistently good at-bats and driving the baseball.”At one point, the Twins even tried a four-man outfield shift against Bregman.Houston starter Framber Valdez (3-1) went 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and three walks while striking out five. He’s the first pitcher in club history — and just the sixth in MLB history — to begin his career with four straight appearances of at least 4 1/3 innings, allowing one or fewer runs in each of those outings.Valdez struggled with his accuracy early, throwing two four-pitch walks to his first three batters faced before escaping the first inning with a double play, a turn of events that Valdez later called a “big relief.” The Twins’ lone run off Valdez came in the fifth inning on a solo home run from Willians Astudillo.“He worked out of it, I just held firm,” Hinch said. “I almost got the bullpen up in the first inning. He did work his way through that very weird line for him the first couple of innings because it could have imploded easily on him.”Jose Altuve finally snapped a lengthy hitless streak with a double down the left-field line in the sixth inning that scored George Springer. After striking out in the first inning and popping out in the third, Altuve stretched his hitless streak to 19 at-bats, the longest hitless streak of his career.“I tell you one thing, Jose Altuve is going to be the MVP that he was for the rest of the season,” Bregman said. “He’s a special hitter and he always makes my job a lot easier.”TRAINER’S ROOMTwins: 3B Miguel Sano wanted to take batting practice on Wednesday afternoon, but the Twins ultimately held him out as a precaution. Sano was carted off the field Tuesday night with a lower left leg bruise suffered after he slid into second base. He was walking with a limp on Wednesday http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authentic-antonio-senzatela-jersey , but Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said there’s a “good chance” he plays on Friday. . OF Eddie Rosario (sore quadriceps) took batting practice and could return on Friday.Astros: RHP Charlie Morton (shoulder) will likely start for Houston on Saturday in Boston, barring any setback, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. Morton was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Aug. 29 with right shoulder discomfort. If Morton is unable to start, rookie Josh James will likely start, Hinch said. . RHP Lance McCullers (forearm) threw a brief bullpen session off the mound on Wednesday, Hinch said. . IF/OF Marwin Gonzalez (oblique) and RP Hector Rondon (wrist) are expected to be available for the Boston series, Hinch said.BREGMAN’S BATOver the 10-game homestand, Bregman hit .486 with seven doubles, five homers and 17 RBIs. He has hit four homers in his last five games and has recorded an extra-base hit and an RBI in five straight games, the longest such streak for an Astros hitter since Morgan Ensberg homered in six straight games in April 2006.UP NEXTTwins: Stephen Gonsalves (0-2, 9.90 ERA) will serve as the so-called ‘primary pitcher’ in the Twins’ third attempt at the experimental approach of starting a relief pitcher for an inning or two as an ‘opener’ before a primary pitcher enters. The Twins host Kansas City on Friday.Astros: Gerrit Cole (13-5, 2.86 ERA) will start for Houston when they visit Boston on Friday night for the start of a three-game series. Cole is 1-0 in one start against the Red Sox this season where he went seven innings and allowed three runs, five hits, a walk and seven strikeouts in a 7-3 win on June 1. Positives are hard to find for the bottom feeders of Major League Baseball.The trade deadline presents struggling franchises with an opportunity to recoup their losses and invest in their future by bringing in prospects in exchange for stars who can make an impact for contending teams.Most of the last-place teams in the American and National Leagues have already been mentioned in the rumor mill, and as contenders get more desperate to make additions, more speculation about potential moves will come about.Below is a look at the latest buzz surrounding teams that are expected to be sellers over the next two weeks. Baltimore OriolesBaltimore's first, and most important, order of business was taken care of Wednesday, as Manny Machado was shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a quintet of prospects.Baltimore Orioles OriolesThe Orioles have acquired OF Yusniel D铆az, INF Rylan Bannon, RHP Breyvic Valera, RHP Dean Kremer, and RHP Zach Pop from the L.A. Dodgers in exchange for INF Manny Machado. #BirdlandSince the only thing the Orioles have to play for is the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft, they should be one of the top sellers at the trade deadline.The top target remaining on the roster of the fifth-place team in the AL East is Zach Britton, who is generating interest from a handful of teams.According to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli, interest is picking up in Britton with Machado off to Los Angeles:Brittany Ghiroli Britt_GhiroliWhen Machado is officially traded Chris Rusin Jersey , Orioles could move quickly on Britton. Interest in him has picked up steam.In addition to Britton, Mychal Givens could be on the move, as MLB Network's Jon Morosi noted the Indians are among the teams that have discussed a deal for the 28-year-old pitcher.Jon Morosi jonmorosiSource: #Indians and #Orioles have discussed Mychal Givens, among numerous players, in recent trade talks. Cleveland is prioritizing controllable relievers comfortable with appearances of 4+ outs, and that describes Givens. MLB MLBNetworkThe Indians could also be in play for outfielder Adam Jones, as Morosi noted the AL teams have been in contact about multiple players:Jon Morosi jonmorosiAdam Jones to #Indians is among the viable trade possibilities as Baltimore and Cleveland continue dialogue on multiple players. Indians looking for a right-handed outfield bat. Jim Leyland raved about Jones鈥?leadership qualifies in WBCBaseball. 馃嚭馃嚫 MLBNetwork MLBWith a rebuild in full effect with Machado out the door, it would be wise of the Orioles to dump Britton, Givens and Jones if possible in order to reload their farm system with prospects.By trading away most of the marquee names on their roster, the Orioles also give younger players an opportunity to gain experience in the majors, which could be a valuable asset two or three years down the road. San Diego PadresSan Diego offloaded its top trade target Thursday, as Brad Hand was shipped to the Indians along with Adam Cimber in exchange for catcher/outfielder Francisco Mejia.San Diego Padres PadresOFFICIAL: The #Padres acquire top prospect C/OF Francisco Mej铆a from the Indians; send LHP Brad Hand and RHP Adam Cimber to Cleveland: 4QkmsU09qn oCN6WsEQ5EAlthough the Padres only got one player in return for Hand, who is under contract until 2021, they received one of the top prospects in baseball.According to MLB.com, Mejia is the No. 15 prospect in baseball, which gives the Padres nine of the top 100 prospects.Hand might not be the only player leaving the Padres before July 31, as they've received significant interest in Kirby Yates and some in Tyson Ross as well, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand:Mark Feinsand FeinsandThe Hand deal could be just the first of many for the Padres. A source says San Diego has drawn significant interest in RHP Kirby Yates, and to a lesser degree, RHP Tyson Ross.Yates is 3-0 with 48 strikeouts in 39 appearances out of the bullpen, which is depleted after Hand and Cimber were sent to Cleveland.Ross could be an intriguing option for the teams in need of starting pitchers, but there will be concerns about his consistency, as he gave up 15 earned runs in his first two starts in July.The 31-year-old hasn't picked up a victory since June 3, but his last outing against the Dodgers, in which he gave up three hits and two earned runs in 6.1 innings, gave potential suitors an insight in to what he can do on a winning team.The Padres already received an ideal return for their top trade target http://www.rockiesfanproshop.com/authentic-wade-davis-jersey , so any other players they receive in potential trades for Ross and Yates are an added bonus to their haul. Kansas City RoyalsJust three years after winning the World Series, the Kansas City Royals are languishing in the cellar of the AL Central at 27-68.While most of the stars from that squad have moved on, one key component remains on the roster, at least for now.With Machado off the market, Mike Moustakas is one of the most intriguing players left on the trade market, and there's plenty of interest in the 29-year-old third baseman.According to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick, the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves have interest in Moustakas, as well as the New York Yankees:Jerry Crasnick jcrasnickThe #RedSox and #Braves are both interested in Mike Moustakas as a trade deadline acquisition, sources say. The #Yankees have already been mentioned as a potential landing spot. Theres enough of a market for Moose that its more likely than not the Royals deal him this month.Moustakas has 19 home runs and 58 RBI in 91 games for the Royals, and if he continues on his current pace, he'll eclipse his career highs in both categories.The market for Moustakas will be established based on the right fit. For example, Philadelphia was a better fit for Machado since he could've filled a void at shortstop. If Moustakas were to be traded to the Phillies, they'd have to shuffle around their infield.The Braves, Yankees and Red Sox would be more natural fits for Moustakas, as they have holes to fill at third base.There might be another Royals infielder on the move before July 31, as second baseman Whit Merrifield could generate some interest.Fancred's Jon Heyman reported before the All-Star break that the Milwaukee Brewers, Phillies and Red Sox were mentioned as potential trade partners with Kansas City.Merrifield is batting .307 with 109 hits, five home runs, 30 RBI and 17 stolen bases. As a well-rounded part of the lineup, the 29-year-old would be a nice addition to a contender, but unfortunately for the Royals, he would come at a cheaper price than someone with a higher profile than Machado or Moustakas. Follow Joe on Twitter, JTansey90.Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference.