Heck, there might be 100 keys to the Astros stretch run, but at my advanced age I run out of steam around five and five is all you are going to get.
- Yordan Alvarez returning some time before the end of the season and being at full strength.
The Astros can make the playoffs without Yordan….possibly. But there are so many times when Astro fans feel that giant hole in the lineup. In his 658 game regular season career he has scored 419 runs and driven in 484 runs (taking out his 167 HRs where he drove in himself) that is 317 others. So, he is good for more than creating a run a game himself.
And we know what he has meant in some of the biggest games like the 2022 ALDS against the Mariners, Game 6 of the WS against the Phillies and his 2021 ALCS obliteration of the Red Sox and the 2023 ALDS crushing of the Twins.
The man is a force – when he is well and the Astros sure could use that shot in the arm.
2. Working in the returning pitching into the rotation / bullpen.
The Astros have already had troubles with the returns of Lance McCullers Jr. and Spencer Arrighetti. What will happen when they have work-in and ramp up Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia and/or J.P. France? Oh ,and the eventual return of Mr. Blister LMJ. How many 3 inning/ 5 run outings can they stand down the stretch?
Hopefully somebody comes back (Javier?) and is solid. Hopefully, Arrighetti’s debut was just a blip on the radar. Hopefully everyone (I’m staring at you Lance) accepts whatever role the team decides for them.
The Astros built their lead in the division on very good pitching. They will need more of the same to sustain them going forward.
3. Don’t wear out the hosses.
In my mind there are 4 big hosses out there on this pitching staff. Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez, Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader.
Framber is tied for the 3rd most innings in the AL. Hunter is 18th (though after tonight’s game he will leap into the top 10). The Astros have been stuck with rolling them out there and pushing for as many innings as possible and frankly in the second half both have showed some fraying around the seams. One of the benefits of the returning pitchers is that the Astros may be able to stretch out to a six man rotation or to utilize some of the remaining off days to give the twosome a little rest along the way.
Unlike last season when Abreu was T-2nd in appearances and Hader was T-9th in appearances, Joe Espada has used them a bit more judiciously this season. Abreu is T-11th in appearances and Hader is T-30th. Hopefully, the team can continue to keep them semi-rested this time around. Though also, hopefully, there are plenty of opportunities for them to hold and save victories.
4. Continued improvement from some first half underperformers.
This is mostly aimed at Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker.
Diaz started off nasty for the first two months of the season .185 BA/ .211 OBP/ .515 OPS/ 2 HRs/ 12 RBIs thru the end of April.
Since May 1st he has been much better .276 BA/ .306 OBP/ .767 OPS /14 HRs / 38 RBIs and an even better .303 BA/ .308 OBP/ .834 OPS/ 4 HRs/ 13 RBIs in the last 4 weeks.
Walker was bad through May – .210 BA/ .275 OBP/ .630 OPS/ 7 HRs/ 25 RBIs.
Since June 1st he has been hitting .267 BA/ .329 OBP/ .771 OPS/ 9 HRs/ 36 RBIs.
These two need to keep this up or even improve upon it to help carry the team while they wait for Yordan’s return.
5. Some late inning magic…
One of the things that can really carry a team is some late inning magic. That can come in the form of come from behind rallies, dramatic walk-offs, one run wins or successful extra inning duels. The Astros best stretch of this season – their 19-7 June included three extra inning wins, a couple walk-offs, seven one run wins and numerous come from behind wins.
Those are five keys from Dan P. What are you hoping to see happen down the stretch?
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
12 responses to “5 keys to the Astros’ stretch run”
6. Carlos Correa being a large addition to the the offense, the way his pay reflects its necessity.
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To me the healthy return of Myers and if he can return to a semblance of his earlier form, would be a huge improvement over Trammel . Also, if just one of the returning pitchers can have a good impact, the Astros will certainly be more competitive .
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Hader had to throw 36 pitches tonight. Shame on Espada for pitching him in the ninth inning of a tied game.
I look for the in-game player awareness to improve. So many ill advised actions on the base paths.
Hopefully, the returning pitchers can give some length to starts and Yordan returns as Yordan.
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I don’t remember anything here lately on the Astros situation regarding the luxury tax. I went to Roster Resource and to Spotrac for info. Both of them have the Astros under the luxury limit due to what the other teams who traded Correa, Sanchez and Urias agreed to pay down on their 2025 salaries.
If this info is reliable, the Astros could reset their position for 2026 and that would be amazing, considering they would be penalty free for next season and then could get further relief when the CBA expires at the end of 2026 and everything explodes between MLB and the player’s union.
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Sounds a bit odd, but it seems the Astros kept pace last night, even though they still lead the M’s by a game in a half. We really needed this game.
Big win for our guys. Anytime you win in extras on the road, especially with the Manfred rule, it’s significant. And of course it was the Friday night opener of a three game set in the Bronx. We had big hits from a couple of veterans, we had a huge hit from another of our no name guys. And we really got great pitching throughout the game.
Our manager used our best man out of the pen to secure game one. No sense in saving anyone at this point when every win is essential. We’re in a pennant race. And there are not any guys in the game I’d rather have seen out there to get those six huge outs last night.
Yes, Hader will rest today. We’ll need a big start from Framber and likely help from guys like Abreu and Okert and King too. And hopefully the offense will put some runs up. Seems to me this line up is about ready to breakout.
In other notes, I don’t like seeing our third base coach losing outs at home plate. Those plays can be game changers. It’s happened too much lately. If it’s a two out situation, then the decision would have been acceptable. But that game could have become a moot point with a couple of runs scored that inning.
I also don’t understand how an electronic outfield wall at the base of the playing field can be allowed. Announcers couldn’t see that play. I couldn’t see that play on television. And Christian Walker couldn’t see that play either. Across the way, Walker was again vilified by loyal Astro “fans”, as was Joe Espada. We sure need Walker to keep hitting as Dan illustrated above. He hit the ball well a couple of times again last night.
And if the Astros manage to make it into the post season after all that’s gone on this season, we’ll have some disappointed fans when Joe Espada is named American League Manager of the Year. Wouldn’t that be great!
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I would love to see Espada named manager of the year. That would mean that the Astros have done well.
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I’m hoping to see improved P down the stretch for beginners. And that’s a big stretch. Not big on numbers, but this area has to improve to make a difference from now including playoff time. Better hope some of the returning P catch lightening in a bottle.
Who is this guy coaching 3rd base, who loves to send and gets runners cut down? How about Espada put a leash on this guy. Why is the Meyers inj so squeaky quiet? You have to Goggle to get updates because no one on the bench or front office dares to mentions his name. If it’s discussed, I missed it.
The lineup: Diaz is a different hitter swinging in the zone and his numbers now reflect that trend. Alas, it’s painful watching him flail away outside the zone. I gotta ticket waiting for Trammel as soon as the next wounded warrior returns. He might run into one here and there but is generally an auto out. Walker improve on his Ofers (yes, he’s numbers look better lately, but..) his swing and miss in/outside the zone are ghastly. Is that decline or adj? I see a very bumpy road ahead for this lineup until Alvarez/Meyers returns to help stabilize it. It’s difficult to laud or complain until this happens. They can get runners on base, well, you know the rest.
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Thoughts Sure wish more of these big games were on the cable package I pay for.
Hard for me to complain about the 3rd base coach sending guys when I don’t see the game
But I seem to remember times when we complained about our old third base coach being too conservative
Article about Correa giving a bit of a scouting report about how to face Williams and his favorite changeup – he got a single and Trammell said he tried to follow Correa’s approach and hit his homer
It would sure be nice to get one or both of Javier and Garcia close to their normal performance level. And Yordan and Jake and…
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They have a lot invested in a medical staff who beyond the shadow of a doubt have proven themselves incompetent. I don’t have hope most of your list will happen.
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That clock violation on the 3-2 count allowing another leadoff baserunner, Aaron Judge, to reach in yet another inning symbolized the plight of the Astros right now. We’re trying, there’s no doubt about that, but we’re just not playing great baseball. Our HOF guy got lost on the bases again yesterday. Framber was not Framber for a second big start in a row. I thought Walker and Diaz were finally getting into a groove when then crossed the .700 OPS line, but unfortunately, not to be. The Yankees pretty much gifted us the game in the 8th with that huge error and three walks too, but we responded with three strike outs. Our beefed up line up has just not produced enough.
So the clock keeps ticking. Will we get a healthy line up, one that can produce regularly and give us a laugher on occasion that might provide the pen a breather? Will we get help from a batch of rehabbed pitchers? Will we even get our big bat back or our best centerfield glove?
We’ll likely slip out of first place within the next few days. That’s certainly not the end of the world though. Those M’s are playing like we were for a while. Yeah, they seem to have a pretty solid team right now, but they won’t keep winning everyday. And depending on how our roster goes, we might have a late push left. I sure hope so. It’s been a rewarding season in many ways, but it sure has been a grind too, and that wears on a club.
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George Costanza is becoming famous again. I hope it lasts longer than 15 minutes. Thank goodness I’m not a betting man. Who would have taken the Astros over Max Fried yesterday? And wow, Carlos Correa has quickly become the glue. I don’t want to know about the next three years, but I’m pleased to have him around in the present. Seems that he and Jose are feeding off each other. In the meantime, the Houston Astros are still in first place.
Can Reptil give us 4 or 5 sharp innings against arguably the most effective starter in MLB right now? I wouldn’t bet on that either, but we’ve got a few righty bats that might give him some trouble tonight. Baseball remains a funny game!
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