HOUSTON — They nearly needed life support after the season’s first four weeks and dug a 10-game division deficit by June 18, but the Houston Astros operate with an aura of inevitability, almost an expectation that whatever misery they suffer will only be short-lived.
“We definitely persevered,” manager Joe Espada said. “We have come a long ways. There was no doubt in my mind we were going to get back in this race. There was no doubt. I’m just proud of how we’ve done it — in a way where we never lost hope, never panicked. We know how good we are as a team and we’ve fought our way back into the race.”
Espada guided his club from the abyss to within a game of first place in the American League West. Winning a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park this weekend would put Houston in first place for the first time all season.
Here are three takeaways from the Astros’ first half.
The Astros’ lineup is deep — and will determine their destiny
Kyle Tucker authored an early case for American League MVP, but missing the final month before the All-Star break may have cratered his chances. What Houston’s lineup did during his absence is the team’s most positive first-half development.
Missing their best hitter, the Astros averaged 5.4 runs and 9.3 hits across a 35-game stretch. They scored at least six runs 15 times without Tucker, accentuating the depth and length of a lineup that must propel this team wherever it intends to go.
The Astros were always constructed to be a run production team, predicated on Jeremy Peña’s offseason swing adjustments and Yainer Diaz’s ascension to an everyday role. Their pitching staff then turned to tatters, heightening the importance of an offense that must mask it.
Including Tucker, seven of Houston’s qualified hitters finished the first half with an OPS+ of 100 or higher. No American League lineup had more hits and none struck out fewer than Houston’s.
The team can sometimes seem too aggressive, but has found a better balance since the beginning of June. Better situational hitting and an adherence to a “pass the baton” approach have aided Houston’s renaissance. Alex Bregman blossoming after an awful first month has helped, too.
Superstars like Bregman, Tucker, Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez must spearhead the attack, but contributions from Houston’s complementary players have elevated this lineup to a different echelon.
Jon Singleton stabilized first base following José Abreu’s release. The emergence of both Joey Loperfido and Jake Meyers has helped cover up Chas McCormick’s underperformance. Singleton, Loperfido and Meyers all boast an OPS+ over 100, though Loperfido’s is in just 97 major-league plate appearances.
Counting on all of them to sustain their production is dangerous, so it could behoove second-year general manager Dana Brown to add a more established bat at the trade deadline.
What could give him pause: Tucker still boasts the team’s highest slugging percentage, on-base percentage and OPS. Adding him back to an already productive offense could be all Houston needs.
Only two starters on the Opening Day roster haven’t gone on the IL. Ronel Blanco is one of them. (Tim Warner / Getty Images)
There is never enough pitching depth
On the first of February, Houston had seven healthy starting pitchers with substantial major-league experience on its 40-man roster. Injured veterans Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. loomed as post-All Star break additions while top prospect Spencer Arrighetti appeared on the precipice of his major-league debut.
At the All-Star break, only four healthy starters remain, a deluge of losses that threatened to derail the season. That they didn’t is a credit to pitching coaches Josh Miller and Bill Murphy along with an assortment of arms the Astros couldn’t have fathomed counting on for so many crucial innings.
Houston has already used 29 pitchers across its first 96 games, three shy of the franchise record set three seasons ago. Hunter Brown and Ronel Blanco are the only two starters from the Astros’ Opening Day roster who haven’t required a trip to the injured list. Both have buoyed a pitching staff that could have succumbed if not for their contributions.
Garcia, McCullers and Justin Verlander ended the first half still sidelined. Of the trio, only Garcia is throwing off a mound — and even his comeback has somewhat stalled. J.P. France, José Urquidy and Cristian Javier have already undergone season-ending surgery, depleting any depth while making it mandatory for Houston to add at least one starter at the trade deadline.
General manager Dana Brown likes to mention the extra games many of Houston’s pitchers have thrown due to the club’s seven consecutive ALCS appearances, but it’s worth wondering why that didn’t enter his calculus during the winter, when his baseball operations department added no starting pitching.
An ill-fated spring training pursuit of Blake Snell suggested Houston had concerns about its rotation depth. Few could have envisioned the attrition that awaited. No front office can prepare for three season-ending surgeries in one month, but it’s clear Brown and his baseball operations department must be more mindful of how fast it can dwindle.
Joe Espada aced his first managerial test
The Astros did not start 7-19 because of Espada, nor is their turnaround in June a byproduct of some managerial magnificence. Players are more responsible for a team’s record than anything a manager does, but Espada must be commended for guiding this club through a near catastrophe.
Amid this franchise’s worst start since 1969, Espada discovered a balance between promoting urgency and remaining positive. He handled Abreu’s demotion and release with the tact a respected veteran deserves, but never shied away from the obvious reasons it needed to happen.
Maintaining faith in Bregman and his three back-end relievers throughout their miserable first two months showed confidence in times when few thought it should be deserved. Espada’s ever-changing lineup construction, proclivity to pinch-hit late in games and aggressive use of his bullpen underscore the gravity every game now carries.
The two team meetings Espada held — both, coincidentally, during series in Chicago — delivered brief, but direct messages about moving forward.
The first arrived after getting swept at Wrigley Field on April 25. Espada told the team to treat its upcoming two-game series in Mexico City as a second Opening Day. Houston won both games and is 41-27 since.
The second, after a deflating 2-0 loss against the White Sox on June 18, only had one objective: get to .500 by the All-Star break. Espada’s players heeded his pleas.
“It was not the way I wanted my career to start as a manager, but I knew at the end of the day the guys would turn it around and we did,” Espada said. “Again, we have a ways to go, but we’re playing our best and I expect our guys to continue to play tough and play good baseball.”
(Top photo of Alex Bregman: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
