Anatomy of a comeback: The Astros’ return from the near dead

This curious mind wondered how unusual the Astros’ return from the edge of the abyss was this season.

As a reminder, back on June 18, the team was 33-40, tied for second place in the AL West with the Rangers, and were 10 games back of the 44-31 Seattle Mariners. The Astros’ hot 18-6 run meshed perfectly with the Mariners 8-16 cold spot to totally flip the division race. This was about as quick and large a change in standings that this OG could recall with the Astros over the 58 years I have been following them.

Two seasons come to mind when talking about giant standings flips.

2005: The “Tombstone” Season

For the younger fans, the Astros had their first playoff success in their history in 2004. They beat the Braves in the NLDS and then came oh so close to their first World Series appearance after Jeff Kent’s walkoff homer in game five. The Cards then took the final two games at home and moved on to be steamrollered by the Red Sox, who had come back from a 3-0 hole against the Yanks in the ALCS.

Hopes were high heading into the 2005 season, but the Astros stumbled through two losing months that included two – 6 game losing streaks and one – seven-game losing streak. On May 30 the Astros were 18-32 and in sixth place, 15 games behind the Cards in the NL Central. On top of that, the Astros were 15th out of the 16 teams in the NL at the time and 10 games back of the Wild Card. They would have to leapfrog 11 teams to get into that 2nd wild card spot.

Based on their place in the standings after the May 30 game, the Houston Chronicle (Spit!!) decided to claim the Astros’ season was dead in the June 1 edition of the paper. Well, if you read the following 10th-anniversary article about it, the tombstone idea was from sports editor Fred Faour.  Jose de Jesus Ortiz wrote the article, and as he claims here, he was focused on asking the question of whether they were dead or not – not stating it.

Monday marks a memorable 10-year anniversary for the Astros’ tombstone – Ultimate Astros (chron.com)

The team did put things together, but it was not an immediate turnaround….

  • By June 30 (approximately the same time period we are talking about with the 2024 Astros), the Astros were 35-41 in fourth place in the NL Central and 13 games behind the Cards. In the Wild Card they were 6-1/2 games back and had to jump over 8 teams to get there.
  • After a super-hot 22-7 July, they were 57-48 and 9-1/2 games behind the Cards in the Central. But they had leap-frogged those other teams and were 1 game up in the WC.
  • At the end of the season, they were 89-72 and 11 games back of the Cards in the division. But they were safely set in the first Wild Card slot – one game up on the Phils and 6 games up on the Mets.

So, in 2005, the Astros came back not to win the division but to quickly grab a Wild Card spot and eventually make their first World Series appearance.

1979 – A Flip the Other Way

The other season that comes to mind relative to quick and large turnarounds with the Astros was the 1979 season.

The Astros, in their 17 seasons of existence, had not yet made the playoffs entering the 1979 season. They played great, perhaps over their heads, and on the country’s birthday, they had a 10-1/2 game lead at 52-31 over the Reds (41-41) in the NL West.

The Astros then played below .500 until August 28 (23-26), and the Reds played up to the back of their baseball cards (35-16). Suddenly, the Astros were down a half-game in the standings.

The Astros were stubborn and hung around, but they could not quite catch the Reds. They finished 1 1/2 games back of Cincy (the Reds did not have to make up a rain game) and watched the playoffs from home.

Looking back these were two extremes of flipping standings, but neither as quick as what just happened between the Astros and the M’s. It helped that, in this case, the M’s fell hard during the last month.

So, can the Astros keep this roll going? Can they build themselves a lead? That’s why they play the whole season…..

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81 responses to “Anatomy of a comeback: The Astros’ return from the near dead”

  1. 2024 has been a tough season to figure so far. We’ve gotten up off the mat and become relevant again. I’m still trying to figure out how good this team is, especially when comparing it to others. I’m glad we don’t play in the AL East. And I’m also continually concerned that our pitchers, the starters mostly, will run out of gas at some point. Blanco’s balls don’t seem to have the same movement lately.

    But that said, unless the M’s pick up a bunch of offense before the deadline, they’re not going to run away with the AL West. We might hang in, run away with it, or fold. I don’t think we’ll fold though. We’ve used 29 or 30 pitchers already this season. Are there 10 or 15 more out there? Luis Garcia threw a 15 pitch bullpen yesterday. That does not sound very encouraging. I sure hope the Astros have sent a stretch them out memo to the minors. We might be seeing anther AA guy soon. Miguel Ullola? Joey Mancini? I hope he pitches like Henry sang.

    Dan, I just don’t know the answer to your question. 8 days till deadline!

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  2. Dana says he wants to go big:  https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/houston-astros

    I don’t expect us to offer anything close to what the asking price would be for Crochet or any other teams’ TORP, so I think everyone will be waiting to see what the big spender Dodgers or Yankees will do to get those type of guys first to set the market value.

    Maybe we’ll get a MORP or BORP. I could easily see us just calling up a few minor league arms to fill in.

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  3. Going big! That’s what the GM alluded to, but he did backtrack to middling P if the ask was too high. I’m more inclined to accept that than a TORP like Crochet or Skubal. I would be stunned if that happened, happy for the grab, but probably moaning at the cost. Pundits steadily drill the Mariners ownership for being cheap. They and the Rangers have sunk faster than the Titanic thus far. But either team can make an about face with a few well placed trades. The Astros can win this division if the needle does not move with their division competitors, but the Stros need pitching, and more pitching, along with some of these guys in the lineup to get hot at the right time. I think the hitting coaches had better rethink their strategic approach, relearn how to play small ball and improve on pushing those ducks off the pond they tend to leave stranded. Other than that I have no idea if they can keep the ball rolling.

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  4. Heck, I have no idea what’s going to happen. That’s why I watch the games!

    But reading Dave’s reply, I am reminded of a family road trip when I was a kid. We were driving west out of Mason City Iowa where my maternal Oma lived. We’d been there for a visit but were staying with my Dad’s brother in Garner and we headed back there for a no doubt delicious dinner.

    Well, the gas gauge on Dad’s ’57 Plymouth Belvedere was well below 1/4 when we departed and my folks were eyeballing the signs on the way out of the big city. Mom thought we should pull in to the big green dinosaur and Dad decided he would wait until we got to the station in Garner because he didn’t want to pay those “city prices” ($0.189/gallon!)

    We made it that time coasting in with a dead stick landing the last 1/4 mile.

    That’s how I see the Astros at this point in 2024. Yeah, they’re cruising along right now after the darn thing finally got warmed up. A couple hiccups now & then but pretty good.

    But that tank is gonna be dry before long and this is the last open gas station between here and October. Brown (or whoever the hell is driving this bus) will either pull in and top off or he’ll take his chances like Dad did. We’ll see.

    I do remember that the rest of that ride with Mom riding shotgun and not saying a word. She rarely would when she was angry. That’s how I knew when to GTFOD. But she never stayed mad for long and we did make it, after all.

    It’ll be interesting to see what this ride is like. I doubt it will be THAT quiet!

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  5. The Astros selected the contract of Aledmys Diaz and designated David Hensley for assignment! They optioned Grae Kessinger to Sugarland.

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    • Probably clearing out space to bring VC back. It’ll be good to have a switch hitter back in the lineup.

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    • The fans in Oakland did not seem to like Diaz. Maybe he wasn’t very happy there either. If he can come back, stay healthy and produce at a level approaching what he did here, there is more upside than the Kessinger/Hensley options. And maybe we’ll be less reliant on Dubon too.

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      • He signed a 2 year, $15M contract and promptly had the worst season of his career in 2023 and then missed Spring Training this year with an injury. I don’t begrudge a player taking a contract offered to him freely, but in Houston he was a very good utility player who had some timely hits but couldn’t stay healthy. He set himself up for failure there…but if I were in his shoes and had the opportunity to sign in Oakland and be a starter I would have signed on the dotted line just as fast.

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    • I’m going to defer to y’all on all that stuff. I have a lot of other things keeping me busy this summer. Lots of texts/emails flying around the last week or so…..

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  7. Seems Garcia threw another bullpen today, this time going 31 pitches and reaching 91 MPH.

    A. Diaz already in the line up at first base tonight. Not sure how I feel about that.

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    • Sadly, it’s looking as if Big Jon’s window of opportunity may be closing. He could be used in a deal to get some pitching perhaps. Some teams may be looking for some left handed power.

      The Astros get a known quantity with better speed, versatility, and good BABIP skills. Not a bad idea.

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      • TOF, my guess is that Singleton will continue to start against most righties with Diaz going against lefties. He’ll hopefully also be a better righty bat to pinch hit than we’ve had.

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  8. Tonight is a good example of why I’m concerned about the Astros maintaining their lead. Arrighetti entered the game with a 1.872 WHIP on the road. His home WHIP is not much better. He’s our 4th starter.

    Then you look at the line up and most of the team is in a collective slump. Even Bregman is struggling again. Then we add a guy with a worse BA than Maldy had when he was released last week. Now Loperfido has been struggling too, but in his minor league career he’s hit lefties better than righties. Certainly the experts know that. And even us dopes know Loperfido is a good enough athlete to play first base. Why do I think a hiding Bagwell is still running first base from a closet somewhere?

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  11. Does Yainer not know how to take a walk when it’s offered to him? Apart from the last 3 dead bats, everyone in the lineup has at least one hit. We’ve outhit the A’s by one hit and we’re still losing. The youngsters could have replaced the bottom of the order two innings ago I think.

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  13. I didn’t (couldn’t) watch all of the game last night but what they hit into 3 DP’s (Bregman 1, Meyers 2), $#@! Wow! They went out and added a super utility guy (Aledmys Diaz) who’s hitting a scorching .093. I don’t know what’s going on with KT but his absence is beginning to tell big time. They looked totally lethargic playing like they were in last place. The last 4 places was 1 for 13 with a walk. Chaz ain’t cutting the mustard and Jake is so streaky it sure would be nice to have some decent hitting outfielders. Dubon is a decent utility player but not an everyday player. Arrighetti pitched OK save for his one bad inning but doesn’t that always seems to be the case? As I’ve said before, the loss of those top draft picks from “IT” has really hurt us. If it weren’t for the AL West being a bad division we’d be struggling to make the WC.

    Here was an opportunity to lengthen our lead and we played poorly. Maybe better tonight.

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    • Tucker went from being close to a rehab assignment after the All Star break to not yet running. The team has performed so well without him that it makes sense not to push him too hard, but at the same time games like last night make you wonder whether we could have a five game lead with him in the lineup right now. I think you also have to factor in the contract situation. His team is unlikely to let him do anything risky.

      Trying to stay positive about the Diaz signing, if he can hit his weight he’ll be valuable down the stretch. If he can’t then they need to find someone else within the next week to add to the system. Ok, that’s not as positive as I intended it to sound, but they have to give him a look and make a decision quickly is the point.

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  14. Thoughts

    • The Astros are 19-8 in their last 27 games – that’s really good
    • The Astros are 2-4 in their last 6 games – that ain’t
    • They have scored 10 runs in their last 6 losses – that is a problem
    • Last night was unbelievably frustrating
      • First inning you have an Altuve single and a Yordan double, but there is a Breggy DP in between to wipe out the rally
      • Second inning you have runners on second and third with one out and your new addition Aledmys strikes out and Chas follows him with a K
      • Third inning – Yordan walks and is stranded
      • Fourth inning – it looks like you have a chance to come back at them after trailing 3-0 with Pena reaching on an error – but Meyers whacks into a DP
      • Sixth inning – Bregman leads off with a single, Yordan strikes out on a pitch at his shoe tops, but Diaz and Pena single to load the bases. Meyers whacks into another DP.
      • Seventh inning – Chas walks and Altuve singles with two outs. Breggy Ks
      • Nothing in the 8th or 9th
    • I can’t get on Arighetti too hard – once in a while you need the offense to win some games for you – but they are struggling right now
    • Yes, we need Kyle back doing something other than taking grounders and batting practice. Is Kyle’s shin too dense to show the hairline crack that had to be there? Or is the medical staff too dense to see it or admit it?
    • King continues to do a good job when called upon. Montero does a good job when the games are not close.

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  15. We got back in this by gaining production from the corners, Bregman and Abreu’s contributions were nil the first 6-8 weeks, and solidifying the back of the bullpen. I don’t know if those boys were having a pissing contest or not but they seemed to have settled into their roles. If Hader keeps it in the park they’re pretty good. I will reiterate I think we have to go with the offense we have and add at least two arms for the stretch. There are some out there that would fit. Then we hope Brown and Valdez stay hot, Tucker comes back hungry, Yordan plays MVP caliber ball and Bregman remembers (or forgets?) he’s playing for a contract. Time to move Leon… Go ‘Stros.

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  16. Was A. Diaz signed to replace Chaz or Meyers in a potential trade to come? Either way I cannot get excited about his signing unless he stays upright and contributes offensively. Be prepared to play matchups with the youngsters if Diaz fails offensively. We can do bad with what we have already.

    Dan, Tuck’s situation has got to be worse than what we’re being told. Can their medical tm be that woeful to miss something like a fracture? These guys love keeping secrets for god knows why.

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    • I keep wanting to ask if in their spare time the Astros’ medical staff has been saying the president has no cognitive decline. But since I don’t want to go political on this….

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      • I’m sure they’ll also swear to God that the clot shots are safe and effective…..

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  17. Dan, I don’t know about you and others, but this stonewalling makes me think that there’s a pattern that persists on that Astro organization that is eerily similar to those witnesses in a Congressional hearing

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  18. So now rehiring a utility guy who got cut from an inferior team because his BA was lower than his body temperature (and still dropping after last night) is considered “fine tuning the roster”.

    These hack writers have absolutely no shame. And also not even a passing acquaintance with the truth. Maybe she’s auditioning for a job with MSDNC.

    Meanwhile, somebody give Diaz a blanket and raise his feet. He may be going into shock. Has anybody called 911?

    https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/aledmys-diaz-adds-to-astros-depth

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  19. Talk about truth, Vanessa, one of the Astro talk show host was very gratuitous last night when noting how good Bregman has been hitting all season, especially lately. I found that amusing considering how his bat was MIA for months early on. But she’s paid to be nice.

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    • I very rarely (it’s been a few decades) pay any heed to the opinions of anyone named Vanessa. About anything. You do this to yourself voluntarily, Andre? 😉

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  20. Unfortunately, Alex Bregman is having the worst year of his career by a pretty good margin. He’s got 3 road homers and has just 11 walks to go along with 30 strikeouts on the road. For Bregman, historically one of the best eyes in the league, that’s a remarkable stat. His overall OBP is far lower than any season since his rookie year. He’s never had a lower OPS at this point of the season during full season play. The oddest thing is that he’s hitting .217 with a .262 OBP and a .645 OPS against lefties on the season. Lifetime he is .270, 369, .862 against southpaws. August and September are usually a couple of his best months. I sure hope that continues but he’s got a lot of catching up to do.

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  21. After a day, I think the decision to bring Diaz back stinks. I understand the concept. Ideally he brings a veteran right handed bat to first base where he is a capable defender, pretty much for free, allowing Singleton to sit against left-handers. But if he does stink, how many weeks do they give him? I think we’ve got guys already in the organization with more upside.

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  22. Tonight’s lineup:

    Altuve 2B
    Bregman 3B
    Alvarez, Y LF
    Diaz, Y DH
    Singleton 1B
    Peña SS
    Meyers CF
    Caratini C
    Loperfido RF

    With Bloss starting, we can only pray he has a quality start and lasts a few innings. Considering what’s (not) behind him in the BP.

    But obviously, somebody (anybody for crying out loud) is going to have to hit the damn ball! We’ll see.

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    • Perhaps the reason to bring Diaz back is to confuse people like me who see that lineup and say, what in the world is Aledmys doing batting cleanup? Good thing I read it wrong.

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  24. That fastball was pretty darn good in AA. You’re not in AA anymore, Jake. Don’t try that again. I’d feel a lot more comfy with Yainer calling the pitches tonight.

    But what do I know?

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  25. In the “who woulda thunk it” department: At this moment in MLB history, Jon Singleton has more bases on balls than Alex Bregman this season.

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    • The kid started this season (or is this year?) pitching college ball, Sarge. Either way, I think we could cut the kid a little slack. I like him.

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      • TOD, I will cut him some slack, after all, it was me who came on here asking for Bloss to be promoted.

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    • To revise and extend my remarks, I just feel sorry for the kid. He’s hopelessly overmatched in the show and they just threw him out there like fresh chum for the sharks.

      Shame on the idiots who did this.

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  27. Another from the “who woulda thunk it” bunch: With Tucker being out of the lineup for this long, Yordan still has only 1 more HR than he.

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  29. Allow me to dare to ask. What do you guys think, how the fandom would feel if the Stros traded Tuck away for a massive haul come the trade deadline?

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    • It would signal that they think they need a rebuild, and trades of Framber and Bregman are right behind it. I don’t think that will be the case.

      This team has taken a significant downturn since 2022. But they remain in a division that is very winnable. I would expect them to hold to their normal pattern since 2015, get every bit of squeeze out of every player but let them walk. Now, there is a new voice in the room, one that is supposed to be the loudest (something tells me he isn’t), so the pattern could change. I just don’t think, in the end, that they are doing that to Altuve.

      Fans are growing impatient as they watch Arrighetti and Bloss lose games to the worst team in the division. But I expect that to this date every call Brown has made has come back with requests that he isn’t willing to meet, and if they were public knowledge we probably wouldn’t either. That’s the dance early in deadline. The next week will see a flurry of activity by every team as asking prices start to drop a little.

      I think the Astros probably end up with a solid tier 2 guy like Erick Fedde more than a TOR guy like Crochet or Skubal. Fedde would be a guy that I would be OK with. But even Fedde is going to cost them something they don’t want to give.

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  30. I skipped the game last night, instead opening The Last Hill. It’s remarkable how much our country and the American people have changed in just 80 years. I might not be watching baseball for a few days. We’ve got to keep in mind that Jake B. was pitching ACC ball last season. He should be hanging out in Corpus right now. And a quote from Spenser Arrighetti yesterday; “Since being called up it’s definitely a much different approach to me getting better. It’s not for me, it’s not for my development. It’s for the sake of the team winning baseball games”. That’s a candid statement from Arrighetti. And it might not go over so well. The guy got a shot at the big leagues. But it sounds as if even he knew he was not prepared to climb the hill.

    We’ve got just three viable starters and need to go to a six man rotation in order to try and keep guys fresh. That will be a Houdini act.

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    • I don’t think the Bochy led Rangers are going to fold. They had every opportunity last year and did not. If I’m them, I’m feeling pretty good about catching the M’s and Astros right now.

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    • Hunter has a lot of pressure on him today to salvage a series against the A’s, who have actually been hitting the ball in July.

      I agree, adding an arm is critical, probably 2 arms. I get it he is in love with Jacob Melton, but I don’t see anything special about him, just the scouts telling me how special he is. If he is the centerpiece of a trade that brings you Crochet or Skubal you are a fool if you don’t do it. I suspect Skubal is going to be moved for a player on the level of Holliday, not Melton.

      Fedde is a guy I would be targeting. But again, the asking price probably starts with Melton, and while, as I said, I don’t see special, he may be the best bullet you have. Maybe that bullet isn’t expended on a tier 2 guy.

      Dan – we brought up Wagner the other day. He and Leon are interesting cases in that they are both blooming at 25/26 which isn’t an age that screams top prospect. I am bearish on them for that reason. But Will Wagner seems like the kind of player that Steve’s roster would be filled with – those guys that don’t strike out a lot, walk a bit, and are athletic that can play multiple positions. So, no, I haven’t changed my mind, I love him still, just bearish on anyone that likely won’t be making their major league debut before their 26th birthday. We do have to keep in mind all of these guys lost a full year of development in 2020, and not playing daily, organized games probably set them back more than just the year they didn’t play. It’s likely there are plenty of 25 year olds in the minors that still have a prospects chance, he could be one of them.

      The Mariners are a dumpster fire offensively. I also stress the importance of over offense, and pitching is the reason they are where they are, but man, last night when they fell behind 3-0 in the 5th you knew the game was over. That has to be discouraging to their manager, fans, but most of all, to their rotation. Three imperfect teams chasing one playoff spot. It should be a fun ending.

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      • Wagner is a guy I want to see play for the Astros. But he could go in the next 6 days too. Deadline pitching has never been more expensive. So with that in mind, I’d rather the Astros continue to hope Verlander and Garcia can be competitive again soon and avoid losing our limited higher end prospects. I have no problem with Melton going.

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  32. Two moves I would make trade wise –

    I would call Pittsburgh and offer Chas McCormick and a minor leaguer for pitcher Bailey Falter. McCormick immediately goes into their lineup in CF (or LF if they want to shift Reynolds back to CF) and gives them a better offensive option in the OF then they have had. While McCormick has been more valuable than Falter to this point from a career standpoint, Falter has been the better player this year and as a pitcher is more premium this time of the year, so you might have to chip in a minor leaguer like Leon (which could also provide an immediate boost to a Pittsburgh outfield that has been woeful).

    Next I’m biting the bullet and using Melton and 2 other decently ranked prospects to get Erick Fedde. He is under team control through next year, and since returning from overseas has been a strike throwing machine having a great year. He pencils right into the middle of the rotation.

    With Falter filling the 5 spot until JV is back you can tread water, and the only loss from the ML roster is a guy that isn’t seeing the field now anyway.

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    • Chas might go, but I would not sell him short. He’s still worth the average of what he’s produced over the past 3 plus seasons. At some point soon, we’ll see positive regression whether he’s an Astro or the enemy.

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  33. The Astros have to be the luckiest team in MLB. Or even in the world.

    To lose 2/3 in Oakland (yeah Oakland) and still gain a game on Seattle is the most incredible thing. Other than that, the Astros last trip to Oakland Coliseum is a completely forgettable one.

    I didn’t watch today. Might watch Friday. Don’t know yet. Having trouble raising much enthusiasm for this bunch, TBH…..

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    • I’m more concerned about the Rangers who will either be only 3 or 4 games behind us in the standings depending on whether they hold on to beat the White Sox. I think you’re onto something about not watching though. Every time I turned on the game yesterday the A’s hit a HR. I’m taking credit for helping our bullpen ERAs by not watching today’s win.

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  34. How about seeing more of Kaleb Ort from the bull pen. 3 innings pitched, 6 K’s, 0 WHIP, and he throws 98 mph. What’s not to like so far. He also throws strikes.

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    • I saw that too but he’s looked good so far with us. Maybe he likes being an Astro (lol). Keep giving him the ball until he proves otherwise. Better than Montero and a couple others.

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  38. Shay Whitcomb is considered a free swinger, but his K rate is a respectable 20.0%. Over the past year his BB/K ratio has improved remarkably from 42/178 to 47/80.

    Besides his 20 homers, 77 RBI’s and high OBP, he’s 24 of 29 in stolen base attempts.

    He can’t be our 29th best prospect can he?

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    • It seems those prospect ratings have more to do with a player’s tools, pedigree, and pre-draft hype rather than performance.

      That rating sounds similar to when we included Josh Rojas as a throw-in to the Greinke trade.  I don’t think he was in our top 30 or maybe he was at the bottom of the list.  Rojas is now with the Mariners, but so far, he has outperformed the other higher ranked guys in that trade (Seth Beer, JB Bukauskas & Corbin Martin).

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  40. Dezenzo was 3 for 4 with a homer a single, a double, a HR and 4 RBIs in his Sugarland debut last night. I went thru the entire game, play by play on Gamecast, and he played 3B and never had a ball hit to him.

    His HR was in his first AAA AB, opposite field against the wind.

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    • A. Because with the Rays, it’s always about them wanting to dump salary, and

      B. We can send them our semi-good prospects who never work out for them, or, if they do, they will turn around and trade them, too, because they will want money

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  43. I just checked the Astros site for any potential injury updates. Verlander and Tucker are still listed to return in late July. Maybe the Astros have gotten tired of publishing updates that don’t really provide updates.

    The cynic in me is back. I wrote this club off in early June, based primarily on the lack of pitching depth. Well the club has gutted it out and proven me wrong once again, at least to this point. And I get that Crane refuses to be a seller. We might well hang on and win the weak West.

    But what’s left of Brown and Blanco at the end of the regular season if we do win the division? Do we even get Verlander and Garcia back, able to give us four or five solid innings a start?

    Do we get Tucker back at all?

    With so many teams looking for help we’re going to over pay for any trade made. I’m back to my early season premise once again. Don’t make trades that will make it tougher for the team to be competitive in 2025.

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    • My opinion is that Hunter Brown has been really good all year. He has a few bad starts that really skew the numbers. I share your concern. He’s just crossed 110 innings for the year. He’ll turn 26 next month so it’s not like he’s still developing physically, but you have to wonder how well he can pace himself. As for pitch counts, he had been kept under 100 through June, but broke that barrier twice in July. Once was in his loss to the Twins where he gave up 12 hits and 7 runs through 6 innings and the other was 6 shutout innings against SEA last week. I think it’s really important for the team to show up and be willing to grind it out on the offensive side. Those two losses at Oakland were lethargic and the type that will burn out our pitching staff. Give guys like Brown some laughers down the stretch and take some of the stress off them! In a perfect world we make the playoffs and can choose our best three starters, but nothing has gone to plan in that regard this year.

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    • “I just checked the Astros site for any potential injury updates.”

      Why? You already KNOW they’re lying like a bear rug. I don’t know why and it doesn’t make any sense. But they are….

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